Catechismo della Dottrina Cristiana.

The Catechism of Saint Pius X is the common name in English of the 1908 book Catechismo della Dottrina Cristiana (Catechism of the Christian doctrine), issued at the order of Pope Pius X with questions and answers regarding the essentials of Catholic faith. A shortened version was published in 1930 with the addition of illustration.

Development and use

English translations

Pius X's original catechism was first translated in English by Msgr. John Hagan, Vice-Rector of the Irish College in Rome, in 1910.

Modern English printings of the Catechism of Saint Pius X are typically sourced from a 1974 translation by Rev. Msgr. Eugene Kevane. Additionally, Kevane's edition is directly translated from the Italian catechism Catechismo della Dottrina Cristiana, a 1953 abridgement of Pius X's original version. Kevane's version also possessed additional changes to the text to adapt it "according to the Second Vatican Council", resulting in further alterations to Pius X's work.[1]

Second Vatican Council

Following the Second Council of the Vatican, the Catechism of Saint Pius X fell into disuse. The Dutch Catechism of 1966, authored by theologians Edward Schillebeeckx OP and Piet Schoonenberg SJ was proposed as a successor to it, but was met by strong opposition by conservative sectors of the Church due to its extreme progressivism.[2]

The SSPX recommends the Catechism of Saint Pius X over the Catechism of the Catholic Church.[3]

Pope Benedict XVI

Joseph Ratzinger, when discussing the forthcoming Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, referred to the catechism of Saint Pius X:[4]

The faith, as such, is always the same. Therefore, St. Pius X's catechism always retains its value. […] There can be persons or groups that feel more comfortable with St. Pius X's catechism. [...] [T]hat Catechism stemmed from a text that was prepared by the Pope himself [Pius X] when he was Bishop of Mantua. The text was the fruit of the personal catechetical experience of Giuseppe Sarto [Pius X], whose characteristics were simplicity of exposition and depth of content. Also because of this, St. Pius X's catechism might have friends in the future

In the general audience of the 18th August 2010 Pope Benedict XVI affirmed:

Beginning in his years as parish priest, he himself had compiled a catechism and during his Episcopate in Mantua he worked to produce a single, if not universal catechism, at least in Italian. As an authentic Pastor he had understood that the situation in that period, due partly to the phenomenon of emigration, made necessary a catechism to which every member of the faithful might refer, independently of the place in which he lived and of his position. As Pontiff, he compiled a text of Christian doctrine for the Diocese of Rome that was later disseminated throughout Italy and the world. Because of its simple, clear, precise language and effective explanations, this "Pius X Catechism", as it was called, was a reliable guide to many in learning the truths of the faith.

— General audience of the 18th August 2010[5]

References

  1. ↑ Laisney, Francois (1993). "Catechism of Pius X Foreword". EWTN.
  2. ↑ Centi, T. S. (1996). Catechismo tridentino (in Italian). Cantagalli. p. 8. ISBN 978-88-8272-148-0. Many note in these post-conciliar books and journals the tendency to model themselves on the infamous New Dutch Catechism (published in 1966), despite the serious criticisms and reservations it has collected throughout the Catholic world, starting with the Roman Curia . It is in fact known that this catechism, and with it the subsequent ones of various nationalities of Northern Europe, presents the capital flaw of an accentuated tendency to reduce the data of faith to the "minimum taxable", pruning the contribution of tradition and theological speculation
  3. ↑ "Is the New Catechism Catholic?". District of the USA. 2013-12-18.
  4. ↑ "ZENIT - Cardinal Ratzinger on the Abridged Version of Catechism". Archived from the original on 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  5. ↑ "General audience of the 18th August 2010".
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