Rev. Ralph Wiltgen: The Rhine Flows Into the Tiber: A History of Vatican II

[Stone]

The following is taken from archive.org utilizing the first edition of the book:

THE RHINE FLOWS INTO THE TIBER

By

Rev. Ralph M. Wiltgen, S.V.D.
Divine Word Missionary


Hawthorn Books, Inc. Publishers New York City

Copyright © 1967 by Rev. Ralph M. Wiltgen, S.V.D. Copyright under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. This book was completely manufactured in the United States of America and published simultaneously in Canada by Prentice-Hall of Canada, Ltd., 1870 Birchmount Road, Scarborough, Ontario. All inquiries should be addressed to Hawthorn Books, Inc., 70 Fifth Avenue, New York City 10011. Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 67-17224.

First Edition: March, 1967


Nihil obstat

Gall Higgins, O.F.M. Cap.

Censor Librorum


Imprimatur

Terence J. Cooke, D.D., V.G.

New York, N.Y.

December 15, 1966

The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the nihil obstat and imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed.

PREFACE

Juvenal, the Roman satirist, writing one hundred years after the birth of Christ, asserted that Syria’s chief river, the Orontes, had flowed intd the Roman Tiber. The poet meant by this that Syria’s culture, which he despised, had succeeded in penetrating the culture of his beloved Rome.

What happened in Juvenal’s day on a cultural level happened in our own day on a theological level. This time, however, the penetrating influence came from the countries along the Rhine—Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands—and from nearby Belgium. Because the cardinals, bishops and theologians of these six countries succeeded in exerting a predominant influence over the Second Vatican Council, I have titled my book The Rhine Flows into the Tiber.

The public has heard very little of the powerful alliance established by the forces of the Rhine, a factor which greatly influenced Council legislation. It has heard even less about half a dozen minority groups which sprang into existence precisely to counteract this alliance. Since so little is known about this aspect of the Council, and since the activities of these groups make up a major part of the present work, I have chosen as my subtitle The Unknown Council.

Soon after the opening day of the Council, when I saw the diluted accounts of the proceedings which were issued by the official Press Office, I began to invite Council Fathers to hold press conferences. This developed into a multilingual news agency, the Divine Word News Service, which specialized in detailed Council reporting. By the end of the Council we
had over 3100 subscribers in 108 countries. Although we never had an edition in Russian, the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church later made its own translation of our bulletins.

As a priest and a journalist familiar with several languages, and as a member of the international and interracial Divine Word missionary society, I had almost limitless opportunities for personal contact with  Council Fathers. They quickly recognized that in my reporting I took no sides, and so I was supplied with information as readily by conservatives as by liberals. In fact, minority groups often sought me out and provided me with exclusive information.

For writing this history I have had access to a complete set of the official documents issued to the Council Fathers during the four sessions. In addition I have been able to consult private and official correspondence, the minutes of meetings, and many documents issued by episcopal conferences. Writing this book in Rome has proved extremely beneficial because further information became available once the Council had ended.

In conclusion, I wish to express thanks to my publisher for his interest and to all others who in any way have contributed to the realization of this book. My very special thanks go to the innumerable Council fathers, periti, members of the Roman Curia and fellow journalists who over the past four years have assisted me in so many different ways. I also wish
publicly to thank the superiors of my religious community for giving me the time to write this book; Father Vincent Fecher, S.V.D., for his assistance with the manuscript; and Miss Patricia O’Connell for typing it.

Rev. Ralph M. Wiltgen, S.V.D.
Divine Word Missionary

Divine Word College, Rome
September 8, 1966