The Church as "People of God" was one of the most striking images to emerge from Vatican II. It set in motion a dynamic revolution in the church's self-understanding, opening the church to the role of the laity, the dignity of the poor, and the unfolding of history. And yet many sectors of the church preferred fairly quickly to shelve this term, favoring instead the image of the church as "communion." José Comblin, one of the great generation of Latin American theologians who came of age in the post-Vatican II era, believes that the agenda implied remains vital and necessary for the church today, especially at the dawn of a new pontificate. This book is, in effect, a brief to recover and return to the principles of Vatican II before there can be further progress in the church.