Il Laico cristiano nel magistero di Paolo VI all'Azione Cattolica Italiana by Dario Busolini (review)

146BOOK REVIEWS summary of the more important dates and events in Küng's life and a thorough index. The selected bibliography with English translations is useful. There is, of course, no substitute for reading Küng's works themselves. But given the great amount of material that Küng has produced, Häring's work is certainly beneficial. It is well ordered and readable and provides a good introduction to the thought of Hans Küng. Patrick Granfield The Catholic University ofAmerica Il Laico cristiano nel magistero di Paolo VI all'Azione Cattolica Italiana. By Dario Busolini. (Rome: Edizioni Studium. 1998. Pp. 268. Lire 30,000 paperback .) The publicist Dario Busolini, contributor to Vatican Radio and author of Catholic magazine articles, probes how Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) enunciated the concept of laity emanating from Vatican Council II when dealing with Italian Catholic Action. His book is based on theological works, papal statements, and press reports. Busolini first cites critics who believe that the Council was ambiguous in dealing with the laity. Both clergy and laity were the People of God, but the laity were expected to carry the ideas of the clergy to civil society. The Council ignored the proper role of the laity as seen in the early Church where laity participated in councils, administered church properties, and helped elect bishops. Nor has the role of the laity in the medieval and modern Church ever been fully studied, for after all, St. Benedict and St. Francis were not priests. According to the author, Pope Paul would have disagreed with these critics. The pope believed that the laity were the bridge between the hierarchy and the secular, and that the laity made Christ real in the world. He sought to contribute to this crucial theological matter through discourse with Catholic Action, because he saw the close interdependence between the theoretical discussion and the practical application which impacted secular society. As early as 1921 the future pope was concerned about the lay apostolate and the need for social justice. Priest-intellectuals and pious laity shared the same mission through baptism, and their co-operation was the key to effectiveness. As archbishop of Milan he sponsored conferences on the role of the laity, and in 1966 he established the Council on the Laity to co-ordinate the Vatican's efforts toward lay spirituality. Catholic Action had been in ferment for decades, its membership dropping from three million (1954) to 1 ,600,000 (1970). A continued point of contention was Pope Paul's stress on lay responsibility while proponents of church authority emphasized lay obedience. So the issue of regeneration in the Christian BOOK REVIEWS147 community was complicated by preconciliar views, Pope Paul's discourse, and the peculiarities of Catholic Action leadership. The author admits that Pope Paul was not successful in formulating a theology of laity during the era of conflict and change unleashed by Vatican Council II. The pope had insufficient time to clarify the theoretical, and so uncertainty over how exactly hierarchy related to laity and vice versa led to dispute in the Italian Church and many resignations from Catholic Action. Add to this the conditions in Italy outside the Church during the late 1960's and 1970's. Social tensions and secularization produced external change in the country, as seen in the successful referenda on divorce and abortion. The new role of the laity, revised liturgy, and an ecumenical outlook are viewed as the fruits of Vatican Council II. Busolini's book reveals that the conceptualization of the role of the laity, in its Italian case study, was halting, and the ongoing process stretches into the new millennium. James J. Divita Marian College, Indianapolis American A Voyage to California, the Sandwich Islands, & Around the World in the Years 1826-1829- By Auguste Duhaut-Cilly. Translated and edited by August Frugé and Neal Harlow. (Berkeley: University of California Press. 1999. Pp. xxxii, 254. $29.95.) The eyewitness accounts of visitors and travelers are a significant source of historical understanding and perspective. This volume is a wonderful example of this genre of historical observation, both in its subject matter and in the perceptive commentary of its author. While this...