Why Do Catholics ...?

How did St. John Paul II explain the importance of the Catechism?

John Paul II said: “A catechism must present faithfully and organically the teaching of sacred Scripture, the living Tradition of the Church and the authentic magisterium, as well as the spiritual heritage of the fathers and saints of the Church, in order to allow the Christian mystery to be known and to revive the faith of God’s people. It must take into account the presentations of doctrine which the Holy Spirit has entrusted to the Church over the centuries. It must also help to illumine with the light of faith the new situations and problems which have not been posed in the past.

The Catechism, therefore, contains both the new and the old, for the faith is always the same and the source of ever new lights” (Fidei Depositum, 2).

And, as the Catechism says in its prologue, “The Catechism emphasizes the exposition of doctrine. It seeks to help deepen understanding of faith. In this way, it is oriented toward the maturing of that faith, its putting down roots in personal life and its shining forth in personal conduct”(23).

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