Catechismus Romanus ad Parochos (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- No scanning noise detected (automatic measure over the whole text, not checked by hand)
- Extent:
- ~190,000 words · 921 passages
Cite this work
- APAPius V. (n.d.). Catechismus Romanus ad Parochos (Catechism of the Council of Trent). Digital reproduction: SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/pius-v/catechismus-romanus-ad-parochos-catechism-of-the-council-of-trent
- MLAPius V. Catechismus Romanus ad Parochos (Catechism of the Council of Trent). Digital reproduction, SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/pius-v/catechismus-romanus-ad-parochos-catechism-of-the-council-of-trent.
- ChicagoPius V. Catechismus Romanus ad Parochos (Catechism of the Council of Trent). Digital reproduction, SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/pius-v/catechismus-romanus-ad-parochos-catechism-of-the-council-of-trent.
Reference to the edition that SigPhi reproduces: SigPhi is its digital reproduction, not its publisher. The edition's year is not in the metadata (hence "n.d."), and the translator appears only when recorded.
What it is about
The Roman Catechism, issued out of the Council of Trent: an exposition of Catholic doctrine ordered under the creed, the sacraments, the commandments and prayer.
Context and history
It is worth knowing whom it is addressed to, because that is what sets it apart: it is not a catechism for the faithful but for parish priests, meant to give them matter and vocabulary for preaching. Hence it does not take the form of short questions and answers, and does carry long expositions. It appeared in 1566, three years after the council closed, promulgated by Pius V; for centuries it was the standard for what was to be taught and, above all, how.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
For those who intended to corrupt the minds of the faithful, knowing that they could not hold immediate personal intercourse with all, and thus pour into their ears their poisoned doctrines, adopted another plan which enabled them to disseminate error and impiety more easily and extensively. Besides those voluminous works by which they sought the subversion of the Catholic faith - to guard against which (volumes) required perhaps little labour or circumspection, since their contents were clearly heretical - they also composed innumerable smaller books, which, veiling their errors under the semblance of piety, deceived with incredible facility the unsuspecting minds of simple folk. The Nature of this Work The Fathers, therefore, of the General Council of Trent, anxious to apply some healing remedy to so great and pernicious an evil, were not satisfied with having decided the more important points of Catholic doctrine against the heresies of our times, but deemed it further necessary to issue, for the instruction of the faithful in the very rudiments of faith, a form and method to be followed in all churches by those to whom are lawfully entrusted the duties of pastor and teacher. To works of this kind many, it is true, had already given their attention, and earned the reputation of great piety and learning. But the Fathers deemed it of the first importance that a work should appear, sanctioned by the authority of the Council, from which pastors and all others on whom the duty of imparting instruction devolves, may be able to seek and find reliable matter for the edification of the faithful; that, as there is one Lord, one faith, there may also be one standard and prescribed form of propounding the dogmas of faith, and instructing Christians in all the duties of piety.…