In the Eye of the Catholic Storm: The Church Since Vatican II

David M. Kelly is a teaching assistant at Brock University in St.
Catharines.

The spirit of Vatican II—which is to say, the spirit of change—is
captured and preserved in this book. Presented as a series of
contemporary discussions, both frank and informal in tone, the concerns
of the modern Catholic Church are voiced through three of its members: a
bishop, a nun, and a former MP.

Of the three—Leddy (Sister of Scion), Roche (once Canadian Ambassador
for Disarmament), and De Roo (Bishop of Victoria)—it is De Roo’s
voice that largely dominates as they discuss the Church’s progress
since Vatican II. De Roo, who was consecrated Bishop at the start of
Vatican II, provides excellent insight into the collective mind of the
Catholic hierarchy. Yet, like Leddy and Roche, he comes across as
entirely progressive—some might say “liberal”—as they discuss
such pertinent issues as ecumenism, nuclear warfare, the Third World,
and the Church’s position on sexuality.

This book will be of immediate interest to concerned Roman Catholic
readers. Yet it should also prove enlightening to those of an ecumenical
mind from different traditions. Protestants may find that they have more
in common with the Roman Communion than they expected!