[powerpress = “Vatican_Radio”]

Once again we thank the fine folks at Vatican Radio and the intrepid Veronica Scarisbrick for this thoughtful reflection:

It was the 18th of November 1965 and in Saint Peter’s Basilica the Second Vatican Council was drawing to a close when during its penultimate session Pope Paul VI promulgated the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.

At the time of this ground breaking Council, a young Patrick Kelly now Archbishop of Liverpool was present in Saint Peter’s Basilica witnessing on many an occasion the discussions of the Council Fathers. He shared with Veronica Scarisbrick his memories of that epoch and in a special way of that document on Revelation, gone down in history with the Latin title of ‘Dei Verbum’

Fifty years on from the beginning of that Council back on the 11^th of October 1962 , among the events to mark this anniversary is a conference taking place here in Rome on April 26th sponsored by the Pontifical Lateran University and focusing on this same ‘Dei Verbum’ document.
The man to chair this meeting is the Dean of the Faculty of Church History and Fine Arts of the Church at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Jesuit Professor Norman Tanner.

In an effort to find out more about ‘Dei Verbum’ Veronica Scarisbrick went round to call on him at the University there and began by asking him how important this document was at the time it was drawn up.

While acknowledging its central role Father Tanner also places it in the broader context of the Council documents and then goes on to highlight the relevance of this document today.