In spite of its impact, Vatican II was, in many ways, an unfinished council, according to Joseph Chair of Catholic Systematic Theology Richard R. Gaillardetz. He says the council bishops were able to establish key pillars in the construction of a new vision for the church of our time, but, for various reasons, they were not able to draw those pillars together into a coherent unified structure. In his new book, An Unfinished Council: Vatican II, Pope Francis, and the Renewal of Catholicism (Liturgical Press, 2015), he describes both the council’s building project itself and the challenges facing the church today if we are to complete the project begun 50 years ago. Gaillardetz is past president of the of the Catholic Theological Society of America. His previous publications include Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II and When the Magisterium Intervenes…The Magisterium and Theologians in Today’s Church.