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SAN FRANCISCO — The English-language publisher of a new Vatican-sponsored youth catechism says that a passage suggesting the use of contraception by Christian couples is not in the book’s original German text, which was incorrectly translated into Italian.
“The Italian translation was really a mistaken understanding of the German,” Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, Ignatius Press’ founding editor, said April 12. “We did notice in the German original there was some ambiguity, but we wanted to translate it in the way we knew was most consistent with the Church’s teachings.”
The creation of the 300-page YouCat was overseen by Cardinal Archbishop Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, who edited the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church. The German text of the YouCat received the approval of the Austrian bishops in March 2010.
According to Father Fessio and Ignatius Press’ president, Mark Brumley, the Italian version incorrectly translates the German word Empfängnisregelung. Although the term literally means “birth regulation,” in a general sense that can signify natural family planning, it is also sometimes used to refer to “birth control” through contraceptive means.
However, the Italian version of the YouCat does not translate the term according to what Father Fessio says is its literal meaning. Instead, it renders the German word as metodi anticoncezionali (contraceptive methods).
“The problem did not originate with the German text,” Brumley said in a statement on Ignatius’ website, “at least not if the Italian translation is based on the same German text as that on which Ignatius Press based its translation.”
“The German text of Question 420 asks whether a Christian married couple may regulate the number of children they have,” Brumley explained. “It does not ask whether the couple may use methods of contraception.”
Ignatius Press’ English-language version of the YouCat poses the question, “May a Christian married couple regulate the number of children they have?” It gives the answer: “Yes, a Christian married couple may and should be responsible in using the gift and privilege of transmitting life.”
However, the Italian edition gives the same positive answer in response to the question, Può una coppia cristiana fare ricorso ai metodi anticoncezionali? (May a Christian couple have recourse to contraceptive methods?).
According to Catholic News Service April 12, distribution of the Italian edition was temporarily suspended because of the mistranslation. Thousands of copies of the Italian translation of YouCat were recently released.
As a result, “the product is temporarily suspended, but not halted,” so that the Italian publisher can “examine the text,” Elena Cardinali, a spokeswoman for the Citta Nuova editorial group, said. Citta Nuova, the publishing arm of the Focolare lay movement, handled the Italian edition of the catechism.
Catholic News Service contributed to this article.
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Maybe they should have tried writing the original in Latin.
It is because I have great respect for St.Ignatius Press, that I believe it is important to note that in #421 regarding contraception, the statement, “...and in the long run can be detrimental to the couple’s life”, is not consistent with the statement from Pope John Paul II, which states, “When couples have recourse to contraception…they manipulate and degrade human sexuality-and with it, themselves and their married partner-by altering its value of total self-giving”, which would result not in the long run being detrimental to the couple’s life, but rather in being detrimental to the couple’s life from the beginning. (see #421-according to St.Ignatius Press, the statement from Pope John Paul II, appears in the margin.)
In clarifying the “ambiguity” of the translation, it would seem Ignatius Press took the same kind of liberties with Cardinal Schornborn’s text that Citta Nuova, the publishing arm of the Focolare lay movement did in handling the Italian edition of the catechism. It certainly appears each publishing house in its straying from the precsion of the original text has its own pointed agenda.
You begin to wonder if the great controversy over His Holy Father’s quote in Salt in Light, also published by Ignatius Press, was the same kind of re-write and not an accurate translation.
My gut tells me that if someone was involved with a re-write of the text that was not consistent with Catholic Doctrine, it would not be Father Joseph. He is one of the good Jesuits.
I just received a copy of the YOUCAT today and everything appears orthodox. It even includes the Latin text and newly approved English translations (and not the current translations) of the Sanctus, Gloria, and Agnus Dei, as well as the Latin and English text of Our Father, and Hail Mary. I was concerned abot watering down the Church’s teachings as well, but I see no evidence of any of the Church’s teachings being dumbed down. I doubt the Holy Father would have endorsed or approved the YOUCAT if it was a dumbed-down version of the Catechism. Plus, YOUCAT is keyed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church so if students want to go deeper they know where to look in the Catechism. Lastly, the Holy Father’s foreword is superb. However, because it covers everything the Church teaches, including the teachings on human sexuality, I wouldn’t recommend giving it to anyone under high-school age, because it talks about the Church’s teachings on contraception, New Age religions, masturbation, pornography, adultery, etc, and I don’t think kids younger than high schoolers need to know about those things. With that said, I think some individual sections will be very useful in working with children as young as fifth grade, such as the sections on prayer, who the Church is, and the sacraments.
I highly recommend checking out the YOUCAT product description on Ignatius Press’ website, where you can read the Holy Father’s foreword in its entirety and view sample pages.
http://www.ignatius.com/Products/YOUCAT-P/youcat.aspx
Also, if you read the Ignatius Press blog here, you will see that the English edition, at least, of the YOUCAT is completely faithful to the Church’s teachings on contraception.
http://insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2011/04/youcat-and-contraception.html
Blissmeister86, to be clear, The Catholic Church recognizes that the use of contraception is detrimental to begin with, not that it will become detrimental in the long run. (see 421)
The English translation (by Mr. Miller) I have before me uses the term “euthanasia,” when it refers to “active euthanasia” and “passive euthanasia”.
What?!
Not matter how you couch the words, euthansaia is medically assisted suicide, plain and simple.
Perhaps the publisher should have had the translator show his translation to a church-approved theologian.
How is this kind of sloppy translation on such vital and sensitive topics supposed to be a resource for youth?
Maybe it can be corrected by the 2nd edition.
I know I’m late to the conversation at NCRegister, but I could not find an answer anywhere else. P.280 of the Youcat includes “For thine is the kingdom and power and gloy forever” at the end of the Lord’s Prayer. Isn’t this wrong? I checked the CCC, the compendium, CCD books, Catholic Bibles, etc., and there is no inclusion of this Protestant phrase in any. Blissmeister86 says everything appears orthodox in the Youcat; is the way they presented the Lord’s Prayer orthodox Catholic? Please help me understand.
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