By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture - The terms “conservative” and “liberal” are always somewhat misleading when applied to Catholic controversies. But in the absence of more accurate alternatives (which would require a fair amount of explanation), they provide a simple way to summarize the tensions that have beset that Catholic Church in the years since Vatican II. By 1995, when the Hitchcock essay appeared, the “conservative” Catholics—those devoted to the defense of Church doctrines and disciplines—had suffered through three decades of tumultuous change, while the “liberals”—those pressing for more dramatic change—were pressing their advantage.