Ralph M. Wiltgen

Ralph Michael Wiltgen(17 December 1921, in Evanston, Illinois, USA – 6 December 2007) was an American Catholic priest, missionary and journalist specially famous for writing the bookThe Rhine Flows Into the Tiber,an account of theSecond Vatican Council.

Life

Born inChicagoin 1921, Wiltgen became aDivine Word Missionaryin 1938 and received Holy Orders in 1950. He was the author of several books about the Catholic Church, includingThe Religious Life Defined,Founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Oceania, 1825–50andGold Coast Mission History.Wiltgen was present in Rome during the sessions of Vatican II. Given the poor performance byVatican Press Office,Wiltgen started his own office called "Divine Word News Service" that had 3100 subscribers in 108 countries. He died in 2007.

The Rhine Flows Into the Tiber

He is especially famous because of his account of the proceedings of theSecond Vatican Council.He holds the theory that the council was a theological dispute that pitted the churches of the countries where theRhineflows (Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands and Belgium, which were more liberal), against other churches (Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, English-speaking and Italian, which were more traditionalist). He took the name of the book from a phrase by 2nd-century Roman writerJuvenal"It seems as if theOrontesflows into the Tiber ", complaining of too much cultural influence from Syria into Rome. The book received theNihil ObstatandImprimaturin 1966 by later cardinalTerence Cookethough many members of the Church appeared under a grim light.

Several editions of the book have been published, the most recent byTAN Booksin 2014 under the titleThe Inside Story of Vatican II.

External links

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