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A
Sketchy Presentation of the Compendium of the Catechism
of the Catholic Church
Presented
by Rev. Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB on Jan. 10, 2007 during
the National Catechetical Convention.
General Information
The Compendium is "a faithful
and sure synthesis of the Catechism of the Catholic
Church. It contains, in concise form, all the essential
and fundamental elements of the Church’s faith" (Motu
Proprio).
Its preparation
was requested by the participants in the International
Catechetical Congress (Oct. 2002), but the need for
it had already been widely felt throughout the Church. In
February 2003 Pope John Paul II tasked a Commission
of Cardinals, presided over by Cardinal Ratzinger,
to work on this project. When the first draft was finished,
it was presented to all the Cardinals and the presidents
of the Bishops' Conferences, whose reactions
were mostly positive. The text of the Compendium was
finalized having in mind the suggestions received and
was formally approved by Benedict XVI with a Motu
Proprio on 28 June 2005 (Motu Proprio and Introduction).
The structure,
contents and language of the compendium faithfully
reflect the structure, contents and language/terminology
of the CCC. It is in dialogical form (Qs/As) in order
to focus on the essentials and facilitate (occasional)
memorization. Its contents are characterized by brevity,
clarity and comprehensiveness. It is accompanied by
artistic illustrations that
visualize some important parts of the contents; by
constant references to the CCC (outer
margin of the pages); (Motu Proprio and Introduction) andoccasional quotations
from Church writers to introduce important topics.
It is followed by an appendix which contains Common
Prayers and Formulas of Catholic Doctrine;
and an analytical index
The audience of the Compendium
are all
Christians, including the members of non-Catholic Christian
denominations, and even non-believers – in short,
every human being.
The purpose of
the Compendium are to reawaken in the Church interest
in the CCC and a renewed zeal for evangelization
and education in the faith (Motu Proprio and Introduction);
and to enable all readers to recognize and embrace
ever more fully the inexhaustible beauty, uniqueness
and significance of the gift of Jesus Christ to the
whole human race. (Motu Proprio, p. 2)
Technical information: Total number of
Qs/As: 598 (as against the 2,865 "paragraphs" of
the CCC); Four "Parts," each
of which is divided into two Sections and a varying
number of Chapters. Part I contains the essential
elements of the LEX CREDENDI; Part II contains
the essential elements of the LEX CELEBRANDI; Part
III contains the essential elements of the LEX
VIVENDI; and Part IV contains the essential elements
of the LEX ORANDI.
Use of the "Compendium"
The
Compendium can be the basic "textbook" for
a comprehensive and fundamental formation course that
covers all the dimensions of the Catholic faith. If
we want to maximize the potentials of the Compendium,
we must use it intelligently and creatively. This means
that it needs to be constantly supplemented by the
use of the complete edition of the CCC, at least
by the teacher/facilitator. It means, likewise, that
it should be properly contextualized and inculturated
by complementing its contents with relevant information
on the local context and culture.
Such
contextualization and inculturation applies also to
the use of pictures as part of the exposition of the
content of the teaching of the Church. Such contextualization
and inculturation should not be limited to paintings
of the past but should be open to the inclusion of
modern and contemporary works of visual arts. It should
also include photos of nature, space exploration, and
life situations that visualize the concrete circumstances
in which the teaching of the Church has to be lived.
The role of the Arts in the presentation/illustration
of the content of the teaching of the Church should
not be limited to the figurative arts but should include
also other forms of communication arts, such as music,
singing, dramatizations, dances and other traditional
and cultural artistic/symbolic expressions.
The
content of the Compendium needs to be adapted to different
audiences, taking into account their varying ages,
educational and emotional backgrounds or degrees of
maturation. Part of this “adaptation” is
the translation of the Compendium into the vernacular/language
ordinarily used by the different audiences.
Conclusion
The
publication of the Compendium is another milestone
in the service rendered by the Universal Magisterium
to offer to the faithful an up-to-date comprehensive
presentation of the teaching of the Church. Let us
be grateful to the Lord and to those who have worked
at the preparation of this handy and clear synthesis
of the teaching of the Church. Let us make the most
of it, keeping in mind the different suggestions indicated
earlier on how to use the Compendium.
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