Twentieth century encyclopedia of Catholicism,

Examines the concept of integration, as it is defined in the Old and New Testaments and in the teachings of Pope Pius XII, and all that it implies in the modern world. The author deals with war--the prime disintegrator--with "nationalism" and patriotism. He draws a clear picture of today's world and the place that every Christian must find in it.

The purpose of this book is to describe the teaching of the Catholic Church on economics--the effect which the Catholic Church has had and ought to have had on the development of the world's economy. However, there is in fact nothing in the Gospels to suggest that the Lord was at all interested in setting out an economic system. The Church does not have a specific economic position, but it does point out the immoral and anti-religious aspects that pervade systems such as fascism and communism, and which are sometimes present in other doctrines.

Metaphysics, according to the author, is the science of being, the science of the real-in-itself, the science of the absolute. It has as its objective the definition of the causes and absolute first principles of the universe. This book covers the main problems of the science of being from the beginnings of knowledge in sense perception to the philosophical study of the existence of God himself. Along the way, the author clearly and concisely treats the problems of what we can know and how we know, the relationship between metaphysics and the other sciences and between metaphysics and morality.

"This book is not concerned with a description of personalities or to any large extent with a description of how things happened. Its task is the rather pedestrian one of summarizing what was decided at the Council translated, as it were, into unofficial language. We think that behind the generalities there is room for such a work, for many have found it difficult to follow its unfamiliar proceedings, so different from those of a parliament or a congress." [Chapter 1].

The relationship of law to morals is indissolubly connected with that existing between religion and the law. Both religion and law foster moral codes, the former under the authority of God and the latter under the authority of the State. The law and religion do not always agree on what is and what is not moral. Largely for this reason history has witnessed the separation of Church and State. Emphasizing this Church-State dichotomy, the author provides a penetrating analysis of the Catholic attitude on moral questions as opposed to the attitude of the law. His work presents a fine balance between factual and statistical data, between Christian opinion and moral principles and between the theological and legal sides of the question.

The author points out that "the Holy Father, in convoking the Second Vatican Council, is reviving an ancient tradition originating from the early days of the Church. This tradition was fully developed by the Eastern Church during the first seven ecumenical Councils. In these councils, the Eastern Father, united with Rome, defined the fundamental dogmas on the Holy Trinity and on our Saviour, doctrines which are common to all Christians. These councils form the bond which ties Eastern Christianity to that of the West and it is for this reason that I have drawn attention to their history." Each of the ecumenical councils down to the Council of Trent is confered in terms of its historical context and religious significance.