Vatican II and Eastern Catholics in Canada

As I have noted before, 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, that landmark event that, inter alia, did so much to reshape for the better relations between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. A recent book looks at the council's legacy in Canada, and three chapters in that book focus on Eastern Christian reactions: Michael Attridge, Catherine Clifford, Gilles Routhier, eds.,Vatican II: Experiences Canadiennes/Canadian Experiences (University of Ottawa Press, 2011), 580pp.).

About this book the publisher tells us:

Le deuxième concile du Vatican (1961-1965) fut l’un des événements religieux les plus importants du vingtième siècle. Au Canada, il coïncida avec une période de changements culturels et sociétaux sans précédent, entraînant chez les évêques catholiques canadiens un réexamen de la place et de la mission de l’Église dans le monde. Pendant quatre ans, les évêques catholiques canadiens se réunirent avec leurs collègues de partout dans le monde pour réfléchir aux questions urgentes qui se posaient à l’Église et en débattre. Ce livre bilingue étudie l’interprétation et la réception de Vatican II au Canada, analysant diverses questions, dont le rôle des médias, les réactions des autres chrétiens, les contributions des participants canadiens, l’impact du Concile sur la pratique religieuse et sa contribution à la progression du dialogue interreligieux.

The Second Vatican Council (1961-1965) was one of the most significant religious events of the twentieth-century. In Canada, it was part of a moment of unprecedented cultural and societal change, causing Canadian Catholics to reexamine the church’s place and mission in the world. For four years, Canadian Catholic bishops met with their peers from around the globe to reflect on and debate the pressing issues facing the church. This bilingual volume explores the interpretation and reception of Vatican II in Canada, looking at many issues including the role of the media, the reactions of other Christians, the contributions of Canadian participants, the council’s impact on religious practice and its contribution to the growth of inter-religious dialogue.

The chapters of particular interest include:

• The Council Diary of Metropolitan Maxim Hermaniuk and Turning Points in the History of the Catholic Church: An Interpretation (Peter Galadza, Saint Paul University, Ottawa) 
• Canada's Ukrainian Catholics and Vatican II: A Guide for the Future or Struggling with the Past? (Myroslaw Tataryn, St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo) 
• ‘A Great Historic Day’: The Conciliar Diaries of Metropolitan Maxim Hermaniuk (Jaroslav Z. Skira, Regis College, Toronto)