Volume 32, Issue 1/2, 2020
Richard Penaskovic
Pages 291-314
https://doi.org/10.5840/philtheol2021716141
Karl Rahner at Vatican II
An Appreciation
Karl Rahner had a powerful influence on Vatican II for four well-known reasons: his fluency in Latin, his intellectual brilliance, his strenuous work ethic, and his wide knowledge of Catholic theology. Rahner¡¯s contribution as a peritus was surpassed only by G¨¦rard Philips and Yves Congar, all three of whom advised the key conciliar fathers such as Cardinals Suenens, K?nig, and Frings. This essay traces the influence of Rahner on the four Vatican II Constitutions, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Lumen Gentium, Dei Verbum, and Gaudium et Spes. It concludes with a reflection on the pastoral care that infused his work.