Pope John XXIII’s announcement, just three months after his election as pope, of his intention to convoke an ecumenical council came as a great surprise to many. The work that followed this announcement would go on to have a monumental impact on the Church throughout the world.Bishop Michael Smith, then studying at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, was invited to join a small group of students chosen to create the official record of the events of the Second Vatican Council.
