Modern Roman Catholic ecclesiology is best presented and understood as the complementary intertwining of pneumatology and Christology. This is the position of Lumen gentium and the Vision of Church the author explains and explores in this work.

The author's central thesis is an ecclesiology built around the notion of communio: all Church members carry out their respective responsibilities toward the Church at all levels.

Beginning with Scripture, the foundation of al theological reflection, the author asks: What ecclesiological perspectives can be found in the New Testament? Next, a systematic treatment of the nature of the Church, its structures (communities and offices), and the Church's mission (evangelization, the relationship between Church and society) reveals a universal Church centered in a community of local churches.

A bibliography 'international in its authorship and ecumenical in its contributor's confessional backgrounds 'completes each chapter.

Translated by: Patrick Madigan