Catechism of the Catholic Church

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church

is that of the entire Catholic Church.

Local Churches and various Eastern Catholic Churches have and can produce their own particular Catechism in addition to such and in harmony with such.

(I am Roman…but this such is the case for all Churches within the Catholic Church)
 
In this spirit, on January 25, 1985, I convoked an extraordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the 20th anniversary of the close of the Council. The purpose of this assembly was to celebrate the graces and spiritual fruits of Vatican II, to study its teaching in greater depth in order that all the Christian faithful might better adhere to it and to promote knowledge and application of it.

On that occasion the Synod Fathers stated: “Very many have 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.”4 After the Synod ended, I made this desire my own, considering it as “fully responding to a real need of the universal Church and of the particular Churches.”5

For this reason we thank the Lord wholeheartedly on this day when we can offer the entire Church this “reference text” entitled the Catechism of the Catholic Church for a catechesis renewed at the living sources of the faith!

Following the renewal of the Liturgy and the new codification of the canon law of the Latin Church and that of the Oriental Catholic Churches, this catechism will make a very important contribution to that work of renewing the whole life of the Church, as desired and begun by the Second Vatican Council.

FIDEI DEPOSITUM

usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm
 
Wonderfully Pope Benedict XVI has urged the study of it by entire Church during this Year of Faith

In order to arrive at a systematic knowledge of the content of the faith, all can find in the Catechism of the Catholic Church a precious and indispensable tool. It is one of the most important fruits of the Second Vatican Council. In the Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum, signed, not by accident, on the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Blessed John Paul II wrote: “this catechism will make a very important contribution to that work of renewing the whole life of the Church … I declare it to be a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion and a sure norm for teaching the faith.”[21]

It is in this sense that that the Year of Faith will have to see a concerted effort to rediscover and study the fundamental content of the faith that receives its systematic and organic synthesis in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here, in fact, we see the wealth of teaching that the Church has received, safeguarded and proposed in her two thousand years of history. From Sacred Scripture to the Fathers of the Church, from theological masters to the saints across the centuries, the Catechism provides a permanent record of the many ways in which the Church has meditated on the faith and made progress in doctrine so as to offer certitude to believers in their lives of faith.

In its very structure, the Catechism of the Catholic Church follows the development of the faith right up to the great themes of daily life. On page after page, we find that what is presented here is no theory, but an encounter with a Person who lives within the Church. The profession of faith is followed by an account of sacramental life, in which Christ is present, operative and continues to build his Church. Without the liturgy and the sacraments, the profession of faith would lack efficacy, because it would lack the grace which supports Christian witness. By the same criterion, the teaching of the Catechism on the moral life acquires its full meaning if placed in relationship with faith, liturgy and prayer.
  1. In this Year, then, the Catechism of the Catholic Church will serve as a tool providing real support for the faith, especially for those concerned with the formation of Christians, so crucial in our cultural context.
vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20111011_porta-fidei_en.html
 
peace2u2 said:
Does the Eastern Rite Catholic Church follow the same Catechism of the Catholic Church that the Western Rite Catholic Church follows? And,

Which Bible translation does the Eastern Rite Church use at Mass?

Thank you

usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm
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Not everything in the Catechism is doctrine. Some of it is doctrine and some of it is the teaching of the Magisterium. It is valuable but it is not an infallible document. Also, the Catechism of the Catholic Church tends to lean towards Western/Latin/scholastic language. Whereas Western/Latin/scholastic language is not always compatible with the Eastern language regarding doctrine, both East and West agree on the doctrine of the Catholic Church. We only differ on how we word it. 🙂
 
The beliefs of Eastern and Western Catholics, with the possible exception of some matters the Church has not formally taught on, are the same. The Catechism expresses this common faith in language that is both Western and Eastern. It’s contents are of varying levels of authority, but all of it demands at least religious assent.

However, because Eastern Catholics are a relatively small minority in the Church and because hurtful efforts were made in past centuries to assimilate them into Western ecclesial culture, they tend to be much more sensitive about using Western terminology than Westerners are about using Eastern terminology. This is understandable and perhaps unavoidable, and not entirely a bad thing if we wish for distinctly Eastern communities to persist in the Catholic Church. For this reason I assume many Eastern Catholics prefer to use other, more thoroughly Eastern sources for catechesis.
 
Aelred_Minor said:
The beliefs of Eastern and Western Catholics, with the possible exception of some matters the Church has not formally taught on, is the same. The Catechism expresses this common faith in language that is both Western and Eastern.

However, because Eastern Catholics are a relatively small minority in the Church and because hurtful efforts were made in past centuries to assimilate them into Western ecclesial culture, they tend to be much more sensitive about using Western terminology than Westerners are about using Eastern terminology. This is understandable and perhaps unavoidable, and not entirely a bad thing if we wish for distinctly Eastern communities to persist in the Catholic Church. For this reason I assume many Eastern Catholics prefer to use other, more thoroughly Eastern sources for catechesis.
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An Example of how the Theological language causes the East and West to define things differently:
The East and West believe that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. The West explains this truth using substance and accidents. This wording if foreign to the East and is not used. The East doesn’t define how the change occurs, much less using Aristotelian wording that the West uses. We call the change a mystery. But both East and West believe that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ even though It’s outward appearance is bread and wine.

We pray this prayer of St John Chrysostom in the Byzantine Rite before Communion at every Divine Liturgy:

“I believe, O Lord, and I confess that thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who didst come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. And I believe that this is truly thine own immaculate Body, and that this is truly thine own precious Blood…”
 
The Ukranian Greek Catholic Church has published a catechism in recent years. I haven’t heard whether there were plans to translate it into English.
 
SonCatcher said:
The Ukranian Greek Catholic Church has published a catechism in recent years. I haven’t heard whether there were plans to translate it into English.
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Such would be an example of a Catechism in addition to the Catechism of the Catholic Church --which is for the entire Catholic Church.
 
Bookcat said:
Such would be an example of a Catechism in addition to the Catechism of the Catholic Church --which is for the entire Catholic Church.
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To some degree the Catechism of the Catholic Church is meant specifically for the bishops, to inform themselves and to be a guide for the production of local catechisms. Of course, the Church has also encouraged lay Catholics to read the CCC itself too.

That actually brings up a question for me. Is this Ukrainian Catechism based in any way on the CCC, or was it prepared entirely independently?
 
Aelred_Minor said:
To some degree the Catechism of the Catholic Church is meant specifically for the bishops, to inform themselves and to be a guide for the production of local catechisms. Of course, the Church has also encouraged lay Catholics to read the CCC itself too.

That actually brings up a question for me. Is this Ukrainian Catechism based in any way on the CCC, or was it prepared entirely independently?
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Yes …but it is still the Catechism of the Catholic Church …for the entire Church.

See my quotes above.
 
Bookcat said:
Yes …but it is still the Catechism of the Catholic Church …for the entire Church.

See my quotes above.
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Yes - and I wish that more of the Church would read it, because it actually is much more oriented to the Eastern theology that I have learned in my short experience as a Byzantine Catholic, than to the Western theology I grew up with. Many, many quotes from the Church Fathers. 👍
 
theistgal said:
Yes - and I wish that more of the Church would read it, because it actually is much more oriented to the Eastern theology that I have learned in my short experience as a Byzantine Catholic, than to the Western theology I grew up with. Many, many quotes from the Church Fathers. 👍
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It wonderfully has gifts of both side by side (and contribution from East and West -in so far as the writing etc). Much is East and West (like the Fathers) but I (as a Roman) would say that it very much is oriented to Western Theology --and it also oriented also to Eastern. Though I imagine a local Eastern Catechism in harmony with it will put things even more into the “local language” if you will.

Great quote from Pope Benedict XVI above in terms especially of this Year of Faith and the Catechism
 
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