Catechism of the Catholic Church Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (abbreviation: CCC) is an official exposition of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, first published in French in 1992 with the authorization of Pope John Paul II.[1] To correspond exactly with the official text in Latin,[1] which appeared in 1997, five years later, the French text was then amended at a few points.[1] It has been translated into many other languages, including English, and became an instant best-seller in each.
Sites that carry the full English text include the following:
- Vatican (First edition, based on French text)
- US Conference of Catholic Bishops (Second edition, based on Latin text)
- Christus Rex (First edition, based on French text)
- St. Charles Borromeo (First edition, but includes list of changes in Second edition)
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2 Critics 3 Conclusion 4 External links for text of CCC 5 External links for comments on CCC 6 Footnotes |
The word “catechism” has been defined as “a summary of principles, often in question-and-answer format”[1]. Although handbooks of religious instruction have been written since the time of the Church Fathers, the term “catechism” was first applied to them in the sixteenth century, beginning with Martin Luther’s 1529 publications. Mostly, they are meant for use in class or other formal instruction..
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, for which the usual abbreviation is CCC, is instead rather a source on which to base such catechisms and other expositions of Catholic doctrine. It was given, as stated in the Apostolic Constitution Fidei depositum,[1] with which its publication was ordered, “that it may be a sure and authentic reference text for teaching catholic doctrine and particularly for preparing local catechisms.”
CCC is arranged in four principal parts:
1. The Profession of Faith (the Creed)
2. The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (the Sacred Liturgy, especially the sacraments)
3. Life in Christ (including the Ten Commandments)
4. Christian Prayer (including the Lord’s Prayer)
The contents are richly footnoted with references to sources of the teaching found in the Scriptures, the Church Fathers, and the Ecumenical Councils.[1]
Some Orthodox theologians have expressed appreciation of CCC, while not agreeing with all of its contents. Those of Protestant tradition find much more to disagree with. “Traditional Catholics” too claim to find in CCC teachings inconsistent with traditional Catholic theology,Critique of CCC such as unclear theology on the union of the Son of God with human nature; implicit acceptance of the theory of evolution; a “supposition that the Hebrew faith is under a separate covenantial relationship with God”; openness to ecclesial communities (e.g. Protestants) not in communion with the Pope; acceptance of the efficacy and justice of religious gatherings involving non-Catholics; encouragement for a collaboration with secular society that tends to promote a sense of working for mankind rather than for the Church; an incipient suggestion that homosexuality is not to be classified as of the same ultimate species (a scholastic term) as zoophilia.
Although theological opinion was not intended to be a part of CCC,[1], some maintain that it "does not distinguish between matters of faith and theological opinion."¹
Some, desiring a simpler text instead of so diffuse and “ponderous” a book, object to what they consider its lack of the clarity they see in thirteenth-century St. Thomas Aquinas[1] and in the 1885 Baltimore Catechism.[1]
They contrast two descriptions of "venial sin":
Contents
Critics
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Venial sin in Baltimore Catechism [1] |
Venial sin in CCC [1] |
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Q. 290. What is venial sin? |
1862. One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
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Romano Amerio states that in the Catholic Church there has been a conscious attempt to adopt "a more humble and fraternal attitude...that of a search for the truth",² for which he quotes Pope Paul VI. This, he claims, has led to a shift away from presenting dogma as fact and toward presenting the Catholic faith itself as a search for truth, a shift that he says CCC reflects.
The Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum states that "the contents are often presented in a new way in order to respond to the questions of our age." Amerio declares that the "new catechesis...attempts to produce existential reactions rather than intellectual conviction."³
Whether one considers these criticisms well-founded or baseless, CCC is clearly the best source today for knowledge of the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, both in general and on particular questions that were not raised in previous official compilations, such as the Catechism of Pope Pius V or of the Council of Trent,[1] or that of Pope Pius X[1]. It is an authoritative source, declared by Pope John Paul II to be “a sure norm for teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion.”[1]
CCC is also, in the quotations it gives, a handy reference source for Church Fathers and other Church writings, as well as for Scripture.
The interest in Church teachings that CCC has stirred even in circles beyond the Catholic faithful has been noted by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger[1]:
See above
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External links for text of CCC
External links for comments on CCC
Footnotes