Not many people can say that they occasionally spent an evening with St. Pope John Paul II over dinner.

But that is precisely the kind of encounter that George Weigel, a bibliographer and friend of the late pope, recounts in his new book, “Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II.” The book is one of over 30 works he has written or edited on the life and legacy of St. John Paul II, Vatican II and other topics.

Weigel is slated to speak about Vatican II — the legacy of which is uniquely tied to St. John Paul’s pontificate — at 6:30 p.m. April 17 at the O’Shaughnessy Education Center Auditorium at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. The presentation is part of The St. Paul Seminary’s Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture series.

On this week’s episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show, Weigel said the Church is still teasing out the implications of the council, in part because of the social turmoil in the mid-20th century.

“Vatican II ended just as the Western world was beginning to lose its mind in the late ’60s, which was not the calmest cultural moment in which to receive this teaching,” Weigel said.

At the same time, Weigel noted that it is consistent with history that the meaning of the council was not immediately clear.

“It’s taken us (so) long because it usually takes that long with an ecumenical council,” Weigel said. “There is great misunderstanding that after the Council of Trent in the 16th century everybody snapped a salute to their forehead, and Tridentine or counter reformation Catholicism was instantaneously born. That’s nonsense. It took about 100 years for the Church to digest the Council of Trent.”

Weigel encouraged Catholics to read the original documents of the council, especially two central documents, the “Constitution on Divine Revelation” and the “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.” Both are available on the Vatican website.

“If you get those in your mind and heart and soul, then they provide a prism through which you can read the rest of the documents,” he said.

To register for the April 17 lecture, visit George Weigel and The St. Paul Seminary.

To hear Weigel talk about how Vatican II is unique among all the councils of the Church, tune into “Practicing Catholic” when it airs at 9 p.m. March 29 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, or when it repeats at 1 p.m. March 30 and 2 p.m. March 31.

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes a discussion with Mahalia Marcelin, director of discipleship at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, about how to accompany catechumens and candidates entering the Church at Easter. Also, Archbishop Bernard Hebda shares some of the graces of the sacrament of confirmation.

Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.