Karim Schelkens, Ph.D. (2007) in Theology, Catholic University of Leuven, has studied in Leuven and at the Université Laval, Canada. He is active as Church historian at the universities of Leuven and Tilburg. Schelkens has published extensively on the history of the Second Vatican Council, including an edition of the diaries of Edward Schillebeeckx (Peeters, 2011). John A. Dick, Ph.D. (1986) in Theology, Catholic University of Leuven, postgraduate studies as well at Catholic University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Dick is an historical theologian who has focused on Anglican/Roman Catholic relations, secularization, and Religion and Values in U.S. society.Jürgen Mettepenningen, Ph.D. (2008) in Theology, Catholic University of Leuven, is guest lecturer at the theological faculty in Leuven. He published mainly on 'nouvelle théologie', including the book "Nouvelle Théologie - New Theology: Inheritor of Modernism, Precursor of Vatican II" (T&T Clark, 2010).

"This ambitious book combines treatment of the papacy from the reign of Gregory XVI (1831-46) to the election of Francis in 2013 with the significant theological currents of the same period. This is a complex tale clearly told. The authors give attention to each pontificate, and present balanced assessments of the policies pursued.Summing up: Recommended: upper-level undergraduates and above"Dr Thomas Izbicki, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in CHOICE Magazine, November 2013"One of the criticisms often made about church historians is that they ignore the theological issues underlying the facts they are studying. Reading this fascinating book, one is compelled to say that such criticism certainly does not apply here. The book offers a broad and solid synthesis of the evolution of the church and of Catholic theology, from the early nineteenth century up until today. The originality of this volume is precisely that it succeeds to articulate, in seven well-designed and well-documented chapters, the history of the institution as well as the history of its theological reflection. The book introduces us to the great debates that have gone on within Catholic theology since the end of the Enlightenment, showing how these debates have led to the renewal of Catholicism in the last two councils. Along this path, the authors take us into the heart of one the most striking issues of our time, that of the relationship between faith and reason, so highly esteemed by Pope Benedict XVI."Prof. Dr. Philippe Chenaux, Pontifical Lateran University, Rome

• Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Chapter One: Moving Toward Vatican I. Ultramontanism versus Liberalism 1.Gregory XVI and the Difficult Heritage of the Enlightenment 2.Ultramontanist Catholicism in the Era of Pius IX 3.Catholic Theological Currents on the Eve of Vatican I 4.The First Vatican Council 1869-70 5.Vatican I’s Forgotten Agenda Chapter Two: Struggling With Modernity 1.Leo XIII: On the Treshold of the Twentieth Century 2.Neo-Thomism After Vatican I 3.Pius X: A Reform Pope 4.Modernism and Anti-Modernism Chapter Three: World War One and the Interbellum1.Benedict XV: A War-Time Pope 2.The Pope versus Totalitarian Politics 3.Catholic Theology During the Interbellum Chapter Four: Renewal and Condemnation 1.Pius XII: A New Dawn 2.The Era of the Movements Chapter Five: Vatican II. The Signs of the Times 1.Calling for Aggiornamento 2.Vatican II: Convocation and Procedures 3.The Council under John XXIII 4.The Council Under Paul VI 5.Renewal and Tradition: From Syllabus to Counter-Syllabus.. Chapter Six: A Decade of Crisis1.Dialogue as Leitmotiv 2.Discovering the Religious Other 3.A Multifaceted Crisis Chapter Seven: Facing Pluralism. Catholicism from John Paul I to Benedict XVI 1.The Year of Three Popes 2.John Paul II 3.Theology’s Revised Topology 4.Benedict XVI: The Papacy in the Internet-AgeAfterword by David G. Schultenover Bibliography Index of Names