Catechism of the Catholic Church

The decision to publish an official catechism was taken at the Second Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that was convened by Pope John Paul II on 25 January 1985, to evaluate the progress of implementing the Vatican II council's goals on the 20th anniversary of its closure. The assembly participants expressed the desire that "a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both faith and morals be composed, that it might be, as it were, a point of reference for the catechisms or compendiums that are prepared in various regions. The presentation of doctrine must be biblical and liturgical. It must be sound doctrine suited to the present life of Christians."[2]

John Paul II says that in 1986 he formed a commission composed of 12 cardinals and bishops chaired by cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to prepare the first draft of the Catechism.[3] The commission was assisted by a committee consisting of seven diocesan bishops, experts in theology and catechesis.[3]

Reminiscing those days, Ratzinger said in 2011: "I must confess that even today it seems a miracle to me that this project [the Catechism of the Catholic Church] was ultimately successful."[4]

Cardinal Georges Cottier claims he worked on the Catechism.[5]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved 25 June last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church's faith and of Catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, Apostolic Tradition and the Church's Magisterium. I declare it to be a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion and a sure norm for teaching the faith.

— John Paul II, Fidei depositum, part IV

The Catechism was promulgated by John Paul II on 11 October 1992, the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, with his apostolic constitution Fidei depositum (in English, The Deposit of Faith).[3][6]

The CCC was published in the French language in 1992.[7] In the United States, the English translation was published in 1994 and more than 250,000 copies had been pre-ordered before its release,[8] with a note that it was "subject to revision according to the Latin typical edition (editio typica) when it is published."[9]

On 15 August 1997—the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—John Paul II promulgated the Latin typical edition, with his apostolic letter, Laetamur Magnopere.[10] The Latin text, which became the official text of reference (editio typica),[11] amended the contents of the provisional French text at a few points.[12] As a result, the earlier translations from the French into other languages (including English) had to be amended and re-published as "second editions".[note 1]

In the apostolic constitution Fidei depositum, John Paul II declared that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is "a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion and a sure norm for teaching the faith", and stressed that it "is not intended to replace the local catechisms duly approved by the ecclesiastical authorities, the diocesan Bishops and the Episcopal Conferences".[3]

The Catechism states:[13]

11 This catechism aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental contents of Catholic doctrine, as regards both faith and morals, in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's Tradition. Its principal sources are the Sacred Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, the liturgy, and the Church's Magisterium. It is intended to serve "as a point of reference for the catechisms or compendia that are composed in the various countries".
12 This work is intended primarily for those responsible for catechesis: first of all the bishops, as teachers of the faith and pastors of the Church. It is offered to them as an instrument in fulfilling their responsibility of teaching the People of God. Through the bishops, it is addressed to redactors of catechisms, to priests, and to catechists. It will also be useful reading for all other Christian faithful.

The Catechism is a source on which to base other Catholic catechisms (e.g., YOUCAT or the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults) and other expositions of Catholic doctrine. As stated in the apostolic constitution Fidei depositum, with which its publication was ordered, it was given so "that it may be a sure and authentic reference text for teaching Catholic doctrine and particularly for preparing local catechisms."[14]

The Catechism is arranged in four principal parts:[15]

• The Profession of Faith (the Apostles' Creed)
• The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (the Sacred Liturgy, and especially the sacraments)
• Life in Christ (including the Ten Commandments)
• Christian Prayer (including the Lord's Prayer)

The section on Scripture in the Catechism covers the Patristic tradition of "spiritual exegesis" as further developed through the scholastic doctrine of the "four senses."[16] The Catechism amplifies Dei verbum by specifying that the necessary spiritual interpretation should be sought through the four senses of Scripture.[17]

The literal sense pertains to the meaning of the words themselves, including any figurative meanings.[18] The spiritual senses pertain to the significance of the things (persons, places, objects or events) denoted by the words. Of the three spiritual senses, the allegorical sense is foundational. It relates persons, events, and institutions of earlier covenants to those of later covenants, and especially to the New Covenant. Building on the allegorical sense, the moral sense instructs in regard to action, and the anagogical sense points to man's final destiny.[19] The teaching of the Catechism on Scripture has encouraged the pursuit of covenantal theology, an approach that employs the four senses to structure salvation history via the biblical covenants.[20][21]

In 1992, cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) stated:[25]

[The Catechism of the Catholic Church] clearly show[s] that the problem of what we must do as human beings, of how we should live our lives so that we and the world may become just, is the essential problem of our day, and basically of all ages. After the fall of ideologies, the problem of man—the moral problem—is presented to today's context in a totally new way: What should we do? How does life become just? What can give us and the whole world a future which is worth living? Since the catechism treats these questions, it is a book which interests many people, far beyond purely theological or ecclesial circles.

Ulf Ekman, former Charismatic pastor and the founder of Livets Ord, says that the Catechism is "the best book he has ever read".[26]

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church was published in 2005, and the first edition in English in 2006. It is a more concise and dialogic version of the Catechism. The text of the Compendium is available in fourteen languages on the Vatican website, which also gives the text of the Catechism itself in eleven languages.[27]

Youcat is a 2011 publication aimed at helping youth understand the Catechism.

• Catechism of Saint Pius X
• Roman Catechism
• The Common Catechism
• Baltimore Catechism
• Catholic Catechist
• Catholic spirituality
• History of the Catholic Church since 1962
• Outline of Catholicism
• Pastoral care#Catholicism
• Timeline of the Catholic Church

• Wrenn, Michael J.; Whitehead, K. D. (1996). Flawed Expectations: The Reception of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Ignatius Press. ISBN 978-0-89870-591-1.
• Ratzinger, Joseph; Schönborn, Christoph von (1994). Introduction to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Ignatius Press. ISBN 978-0-89870-485-3.