church ought to look at “the signs of the times,” in order to meet the needs of the times. He used the Italian word aggiornamento, which means “a bringing up to date.” It is a word that some said is dangerously close to Martin Luther’s word reform. Other councils had been called to deal with specific heresies or crises in the church. Pope John could well have used the word reform. But he was too canny to frighten those who might oppose reform or, indeed, any radical changes at all. John XXIII said