Searching for Ecclesial Compromise: The Role of Juan Landázuri Ricketts, Archbishop of Lima (Peru), during the Preparatory Phase of Vatican II (1961–1962)

This article studies the participation of Juan Landázuri Ricketts, archbishop of Lima (Peru), in the Preparatory phase of Vatican II, as a member of the Central Preparatory Commission (CPC). It argues that Landázuri’s involvement at the CPC exemplifies how an archbishop from the Catholic periphery positioned himself with his own interpretation of the Church and her necessity for doctrinal and pastoral renewal. Landázuri was a Father in search of compromises in his interventions at CPC sessions, and pursued a balance between the necessity of Church renewal and the importance of gradually implementing any reform to avoid doctrinal abuses and giving scandal to the faithful. The article seeks to contribute to the history of Vatican II through the knowledge of Landázuri’s participation in the conciliar preparatory phase.