Pope John XXIII called Vatican II a new Pentecost in the church's life. While the great meetings of 1962-1965 opened the church's windows to let the stale air out and the fresh winds in, the years since have been decades of contradictory movements: tradition and progress, conservation and innovation, reform and renewal, status quo and change. Vatican II has become so much of a battleground that some who lived through it may have lost sight of its original intentions. Many believers do not even remember the pre-Vatican II world of Catholicism. Still others have tried to continually apply and update the spirit of the Council without appreciating the context in which the church gathered and the global circumstances that surrounded the Council's implementation. 101 Questions & Answers on Vatican II brings us back to the beginning-to the preparations and expectations for the Council, to the meetings and developments in 1962-1965, to the internal church struggles and the exterior influences that shaped the final documents, and to the many layers of experience and perspectives within the church since the Council adjourned. For people who have heard of Vatican II but have only experienced the Council through a glass darkly, this book takes them back to the beginning to a basic question: Just what was Vatican II? Highlights: -no other guide like this one. -user-friendly format. -sure to be a hit in parishes, lay leadership groups, RCIA and catechist groups.