The pastoral constitution of Vatican II "Gaudium et Spes" is the last document approved by the council in December 1965 and, according to some prominent interpreters of Vatican II (e.g. Christoph Theobald), appears as its final synthesis. But the reception of the pastoral constitution has been contested and subject to new scrutiny in the theological and ecclesial conversations, especially in the Anglo-American sphere. The paper will try to assess the role of "Gaudium et Spes" in different theological streams and to make a case for its continuing relevance within the Catholic intellectual tradition.