Paolo VI "uomo spirituale": Discorsi e scritti (1983–2008) (review)

Sometimes a book tells much not just about its subject but also about its author. This is certainly the case for this book, which collects speeches and writings of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, S.J., who served as the archbishop of Milan from 1980 to 2002. It offers Martini's opinions on his predecessor, Giovanni Battista Montini, later Pope Paul VI (1963–78). In this collection of Martini's brief speeches and reflections (delivered or written between 1983 and 2008), the reader can appreciate Martini's perspective while gaining an understanding of Montini's role in the twentieth-century Catholic Church and his "synodal style"; the importance of the relationship between "faith and culture" in Paul VI's teaching; and Paul VI's contribution to the Second Vatican Council, including his role in developing the doctrine of episcopal collegiality.

The volume is worthy of attention for at least two reasons. The collection shows the central role of Montini—first as a monsignor in Rome (1925–54), then as archbishop in Milan (1954–63), and finally as pope—in shaping a crucial time in the history of the Church that spanned the pontificate of Pius XI, World War II, the Second Vatican Council, and the Council's aftermath. The fact that his pontificate and his emphasis on the term dialogue seems to be somehow neglected today casts a light on the dire need for serious biographical and thematic studies—so far emblematically lacking—on such a significant figure for the history of the Catholic Church.

The texts in this volume also reflect Martini's personal response to Montini, since he defined the latter as a "uomo spirituale" (spiritual man), "uomo di chiesa" (man of the Church), "uomo del concilio" (man of the Council), and "uomo della luce" (man of light, pp. vi–xi). It is not too much to say that the way Martini approaches Montini is very telling of Martini's attitude toward the episcopal ministry and the Second Vatican Council. This collection whets the appetite of the reader for a biographical work on Martini, without a doubt the most important diocesan bishop for Italian Catholicism after the Second Vatican Council.