Johannes Willebrands

"Karim Schelkens's book is the definitive biography of one of the major figures in the history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century and its engagement in the ecumenical movement. It is also a reminder of how far Catholicism has traveled in the last hundred years."—Massimo Faggioli, Trinity College Dublin

The story of a pioneering cardinal who was a key architect of the Roman Catholic Church's ecumenical and interreligious commitment

Catholicism during the twentieth century was characterized by changing Church attitudes toward other religions. At the center of these changes was Johannes Willebrands, the pioneering Dutch cardinal.

Johannes Willebrands uncovers the life of this man who led the world's largest religion to embrace dialogue and religious liberty. Drawing on newly discovered archival sources, Karim Schelkens tells the story of how Willebrands, who lived through two world wars, was moved to launch under-the-radar initiatives that helped move European Catholics beyond an attitude of condemning Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, Jews, and Muslims in the postwar years. His diplomatic role became central once these initiatives were adopted during the Second Vatican Council, leading to a surge in interreligious dialogue and worldwide changes in the relationship of the Catholic world with those outside it. Through these initiatives, Willebrands also influenced the relationship between communities on either side of the Iron Curtain.

Previously published in Dutch, this English translation of Johannes Willebrands sheds new light on what drove the pivotal changes to the Catholic Church in the Cold War era. Readers interested in political-diplomatic history, interreligious dialogue, ecumenism, Church history, the Vatican, and Catholicism will gain a new perspective on the diplomatic efforts behind this shift.