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Home > Catechism of the Catholic Church

 Contents
1 Contents
2 Critics
3 Conclusion
4 External links for text of CCC
5 External links for comments on CCC
6 Footnotes
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,[2] which appeared in 1997, five years later, the French text was then amended at a few points.[3] 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:

1 Contents

The word “ catechism” has been defined as “a summary of principles, often in question-and-answer format”[4]. 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,[5] 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.[6]

2 Critics

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 PopeThis article is about the Catholic pope. See Pope (disambiguation) for other meanings of the word pope. The Pope is the Catholic bishop and patriarch of Rome, and ex officio supreme spiritual leader of what might be called the Catholic Communion (that is,; 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,[7], 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 AquinasSaint Thomas Aquinas ( 1225 March 7 1274) was a Catholic philosopher and theologian in the scholastic tradition, who gave birth to the thomistic school of philosophy, which was long the official dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. He is considered by the[8] and in the 1885 Baltimore Catechism.[9]

They contrast two descriptions of "venial sinThis page is about sin in the context of religion. For other meanings, see Sin (disambiguation Sin has always been a term most usually used in a religious context, and today describes any lack of conformity to the will of God; especially, any willful disr":

Venial sin in Baltimore Catechism [10]

Venial sin in CCC [11]

Q. 290. What is venial sin?
A. Venial sin is a slight offense against the law of God in matters of less importance, or in matters of great importance it is an offense committed without sufficient reflection or full consent of the will.

Q. 291. Can we always distinguish venial from mortal sin?
A. We cannot always distinguish venial from mortal sin, and in such cases we must leave the decision to our confessor.

Q. 292. Can slight offenses ever become mortal sins?
A. Slight offenses can become mortal sins if we commit them through defiant contempt for God or His law; and also when they are followed by very evil consequences, which we foresee in committing them.

Q. 293. Which are the effects of venial sin?
A. The effects of venial sin are the lessening of the love of God in our heart, the making us less worthy of His help, and the weakening of the power to resist mortal 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.

1863. Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God's grace it is humanly reparable. “Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness” (Pope John Paul II, Reconciliatio et paenitentia, 17 §9).

While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call ‘light’; if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, confession... (St Augustine, In ep. Jo. 1,6: PL 35, 1982)

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 VIPaul VI Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini ( September 26, 1897 August 6, 1978), served as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978. He presided over the Catholic Church during most of the Second Vatican Council and played a central. 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



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Catechism of the Catholic ChurchThe 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. To correspond exactly with the official text iCatechismA catechism is a summary of Christian religious doctrine. Catechisms are doctrinal manuals often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorized, a format that has been adopted for secular or non-religious use as well. Catechesis is an elemenCatechism for Filipino CatholicsThe Catechism for Filipino Catholics or CFC is a contextualized and inculturated Roman Catholic catechism for Filipinos prepared by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines and approved by the Holy See.
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