St. Peter's Basilica. Photo by Bob Tubbs. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons
All sources and book descriptions on this and the following pages are taken from the Vatican II research guide by Noel McFerran, University of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto. Thanks, Noel.
The Second Vatican Council met from 1962 to 1965 in four sessions (October-December 1962, September-December 1963, September-November 1964, and September-December 1965). Sixteen major documents were produced: two dogmatic and pastoral constitutions, nine decrees and three declarations. The authoritative Latin text of each of these documents can be found in Tanner’s Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils or on the
There are at least five English translations of the sixteen documents; in addition there are other English translations of individual documents. The variety of ways in which the documents have been dealt with by translators shows the necessity of referring to the authoritative Latin text.
All the texts on this page are standard sources and it is likely that most libraries supporting Catholic Studies will own one or more of them. Check you local library catalog for availability.
Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils.
The Sixteen Documents of Vatican II.
The Documents of Vatican II.
Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents.
Vatican Council II Constitutions, Decrees, Declarations: A Completely Revised Translation in Inclusive Language.