Does the Catechism differ?

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divinefaith

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I’m aware that the Code of Canon Law is different among the Latin Rite and Eastern Churches. However, does the Catechism differ?
 
Well, I’m not so sure about the other Eastern Churches, but I do know that there’s been some buzz lately about the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church releasing its own Catechism.
 
Cavaradossi said:
Well, I’m not so sure about the other Eastern Churches, but I do know that there’s been some buzz lately about the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church releasing its own Catechism.
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Has it been released yet? If so I would like to know if a different catechism would have different beliefs.
 
divinefaith said:
Has it been released yet? If so I would like to know if a different catechism would have different beliefs.
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Here’s a thread about it (right from the first page of the EC forum too): forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=565997

Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s been translated into English yet, so unless you can read Ukrainian, you’ll probably have to wait for either the official English translation or for some kind soul over the internet to translate it.
 
Apart from the UGCC, none of the Eastern Catholic Churches have a Catechism of their own, to my knowledge at least. The EC Conference of Bishops in North America have put together some wonderful catechetical materials available from God With Us Publications. I highly recommend those. Archbishop Joseph Raya, in the Prologue to his wonderful book “Eyes of the Gospel” says that catechisms are a Roman thing and have no place in Eastern Christianity. Our “catechism,” he claims, are the numerous liturgical books (including the Scriptures), and every Eastern Christian should take them up and study them prayerfully. Archimandrite Robert Taft suggests that all priests and seminarians should practice “lectio divina” with the liturgical texts, prayerfully reading and studying them. This advise could just as well have been given to any and all lay people.

However, if it is catechetical material you are looking for, I recommend the two series put out by God With Us Publications. 👍
 
Phillip. Not to say, it wouldn’t be helpful to have a catechism of our own. It just has to be something we’d produce from scratch from a thoroughly Byzantine perspective.
 
So if Eastern Catholics dont have their own catechism that would definately mean they are in communion with all Catholic teachings? But if they did, there may be differences?
 
divinefaith said:
So if Eastern Catholics dont have their own catechism that would definately mean they are in communion with all Catholic teachings? But if they did, there may be differences?
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All the Catholic churches share the same faith, Holy Mysteries, and hierarchy.
 
No, not having a catechism does not mean we don’t know our faith. A catechism is a primer, a helpful tool for people to understand their faith. O heavens what has the church done for hundreds of years before the printing press. How did she ever catechize her faithful.

Each individual tradition has it’s own theology and praxis that differs from the other. Some are very close (Romanian and Melkite) as they are within in the same “Rite” but others might differ from each other more (Chaldean and Armenian).
 
From what I’m reading, the Catechism is only the expression of our teachings. So having a different Catechism (if that were the case) would not mean beliefs differ but the expression of such would?
 
divinefaith said:
From what I’m reading, the Catechism is only the expression of our teachings. So having a different Catechism (if that were the case) would not mean beliefs differ but the expression of such would?
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Correct! You should check out the UGCC Catechism when it comes around in English. Or the North American Study Series that several folks have mentioned put out by the US Byzantine Churches.
 
There have been local catechisms as pointed out here, but the Ukrainian Church is the first to have its own that is official and Church-wide. Of course the benefit of the official Catechism is that is what the Church as a whole should teach. Sometimes local Catechisms reflect the local situation, like a lot of Latinizations, rather than what the Church as a whole really wants the faithful to believe in.
 
ConstantineTG said:
There have been local catechisms as pointed out here, but the Ukrainian Church is the first to have its own that is official and Church-wide.
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Reminder that the Universal Catechism of the Catholic Church is a very recent thing as well, first published in the French language in 1994 and was then translated into other languages, in US in English in 1994. It was intended for use by the bishops but became a surprise hit with the laity once it came out in their languages. The intention was for countries to have their own catechisms, such as the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults 2004.
 
Just confirming: Catholic teaching is the same across Latin and Eastern Rites, we have the same doctrines in terms of dogmatic beliefs, sacraments and morality (e.g. Purgutory, confession, ten commandments). and this forum would answer our questions whether we’re From Latin or Eastern rite since we have the same beliefs?
 
From the perspective of dogma and morals those Eastern Churches in communion with Rome hold the same doctrine as that of the Roman Church. Their laws and customs may differ, however, and that is why there is a separate Code of Canon Law for them. They have other matters to deal with such as a married lower clergy and different fasting laws which derive from their own ancient customs.
 
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