Survey of Conciliar Documents on Ecclesiology and the Lay Apostolate in Politics

Before discussing the theologians who will provide the conceptual lens to make a critical evaluation of Vatican II’s writings, there first needs to be presented a survey of how the conciliar documents present the church’s understanding of itself and of its relation to political authorities, especially through its lay members. This chapter is devoted to this task by discussing the Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), the Decree on the Lay Apostolate (Apostolicam Actuositatem), and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes).