A Liberal Revolution - by Hanael Bianchi (Hardcover)

About the Book

Using the important archdiocese of Baltimore as a case study, and drawing exclusively on primary sources such as newspaper accounts and archives, Bianchi reconstructs how Vatican II was implemented and experienced on the local level.

Book Synopsis

Although the Second Vatican Council has generated a large scholarly corpus, A Liberal Revolution is the first history to be written of a diocese in the years immediately following it. Using the important see of Baltimore as a case study, and drawing exclusively on primary sources such as newspaper accounts and archival materials, Hanael Bianchi reconstructs how the Council was implemented and experienced on the local level. The claim that the Church "embraced the modern world" after Vatican II is well known; this book sharpens it by focusing specifically on liberalism as the framework through which implementation took place. The study begins by tracing the dismantling of inherited traditions, then turns to the rise of individualism within Catholic life and governance, before arriving at its most original contribution: an analysis of the emergence of a dense church bureaucracy that embodied and enforced a liberal worldview. Although the story told in these pages is a tragedy, A Liberal Revolution is no polemic; rather, it is a work of historical analysis grounded in years of research. It will not only contribute to the scholarly understanding of Vatican II and its aftermath but also offer guidance to Catholics seeking a path toward genuine renewal, grounded in a thorough and accurate assessment of what actually happened.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK

"A richly detailed account of how Vatican II played out, concretely, in a single-and significant-archdiocese. An impressive piece of scholarship, beautifully written, very compelling, and highly recommended." -Stephen Bullivant

"The importance and necessity of this book cannot be overstated. Bianchi reveals the destructive effects of the late 1960s mindset at the parochial level." -Barry Spurr

"A deeply researched account of how the soaring hopes of Vatican II collided with the lived reality on the ground. With historical precision and narrative force, it shows how reforms reshaped Catholic life in unexpectedly negative ways, with consequences that still reverberate through the Church today." -Anne Hendershott