Christians, some Catholics and Protestants alike, have tended to use Francis's pronouncements to justify the correctness of their own viewpoints on Vatican Council II and other theological matters. Professor Echeverria has read widely in Francis, and gets at where Francis really stands with respect to Vatican II. He does a thorough job of drawing on Francis's own pre-papal and papal writings, talks, and sermons to discover and document the continuity in Francis's thought with the council.

Additionally, Echeverria compares Francis's discourse with that of his papal predecessors in the era since Vatican II and draws heavily on the documents of Vatican II and the theology of doctrinal development stemming from the First Vatican Council and embraced by Vatican II. Not left out is the modern ecumenical movement from both the Reformed and Catholic side.

A text made for seminarians and divinity students, this book is also for those who wish to understand the 'real' Pope Francis and his legacy of Vatican II.