The Second Vatican Council (Vatican II, 1962-65) was distinctly different from other councils in one significant aspect. In all the areas it discussed, this council did not see itself as the end of a process, but rather as a beginning. It opened, not closed, doors--whether doctrinal or disciplinary--for ongoing reflection, for possibilities of ever-improving knowledge and understanding. Laurenti Magesa offers this book as a stimulus for African (Catholic) Christians to continue digging deeper into and benefiting from the spiritual treasures that the Council still contains. For the theologian or historian of Vatican II, some of the information may be quite familiar, but all of it is important if one is to grasp the scope, meaning, and implications of the Council for the Church and people of Africa. ""In this book, Laurenti Magesa lucidly and concisely articulates the significance, timeliness, and importance of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), with particular reference to Africa. He persuasively emphasizes that the Vatican II agenda of aggiornamento, or updating, is still relevant in Africa, particularly as a strategy for rooting the Christian faith in African soil. He emphatically pleads for urgent placement of the African cultural and religious heritage at the center of African Christianity."" --Jesse N. K. Mugambi, University of Nairobi ""The Council is long over. The Fathers have gone home, mostly to Paradise. The Jubilee came and went. The corks popped. The speeches were made. Now it's time for evaluation. Magesa's sober survey of the lasting effects of Vatican II on the Church in Africa gives cause for hope, frustration, profound appreciation, and renewed commitment."" --Peter Knox, the Jesuit School of Theology, Hekima University College, Nairobi Laurenti Magesa is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Musoma in Tanzania. He teaches theology at Hekima University College Jesuit School of Theology, Tangaza University College, and the Maryknoll Institute of African Studies of St. Mary's University (MIASMU) in Nairobi, Kenya. He is the author of many articles and books.