Catechism Romanus

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Catechismo del Concilio di Trento.jpg

The Catechism Romanus ("Roman Catechism") is a short title that has been expanded to include the adjective "Romanus" since the Latin Dillinger edition of 1567. The original title of this catechism , first published in Rome in 1566, is: CATECHISMVS, Ex decreto Concilii Tridentini, AD PAROCHOS, PII QVINTI PONT. MAX. ISSA EDITVS (Catechism, according to the decision of the Council of Trent , for pastors , published on behalf of Pope Pius V ). Its comprehensive title describes this manual as “Catechism”, cites a “decree of the Council of Trent” as the reason for its publication, which Pope Pius V implemented by publishing this catechism, and mentions the “parish priests” as its addressees.

History of origin

The history of the creation of this catechism, published in 1566, goes back to the first session of the Council of Trent (1545–48), but it was only in the third period (1562–63) that its preparation began. When the catechism work was still unfinished at the end of the council deliberations, the council decided in a decree at its last session on December 4, 1563, to pass on to the Pope the task of writing a catechism that had been set but not yet completed, and that to him to hand over material developed at this point in time. Pope Pius IV (1559–1565) thereupon commissioned in January 1564 an editorial commission made up of former council members under the direction of his nephew, Cardinal Karl Borromeo (1538–1584), to continue the preparatory work on a catechism that had begun in Trento.

The successor Pope Pius V (1566–1572), who had been in office since January 1566, had the text checked again by a revision commission headed by Cardinal Guglielmo Sirleto (1514–1585). She approved the manuscript in June 1566. The catechism could then go to press in August / September 1566.

Content and structure

The Catechism Romanus, which is divided into four parts, represents the Catholic doctrine of faith and morals following the four main catechetical parts:

The catechism intended for the hand of the parish priests with its 1014 numbered doctrinal pieces has often been appended since 1578 for the purpose of the catechism sermon, called “Praxis Catechismi”, in which its content is divided over all Sundays of the year.

Distribution and first editions

The Latin edition has had approx. 550 editions, and its translations in 18 languages ​​include over 350 editions:

  • First edition of the translation into Italian: "Catechismo" (Rome 1566) - into German: "Römischer Catechismus" (Dillingen 1568) - into French: "Catéchisme" (Paris 1568) - into Polish: "Katechizm" (Krakow 1568) - into Portuguese : "Catechismo" (Lisbon 1590) - into Flemish: "Roomsche Catechismus" (Brussels 1668) - into English: "Catechism" (London 1687) - into Mexican (Mexico 1723) - into Croatian: "Katekism rimski" (Mlezieh 1775) - into Spanish: "Catecismo" (Pamplona 1777) - into Arabic (Rome 1786/87) - into Czech: "Rjmský Katechysmus" (Prague 1834/41) - into Hungarian (1869) - into Chaldean (Mossul 1889) - into Romanian : "Catechismulu" (Gherl'a 1891) - into Ukrainian (New York - Munich 1961) - into Armenian (Beirut 1962) - into Japanese (Tokyo 1966)
  • Last Latin edition: Catechism Romanus seu Catechism ex decreto Concilii Tridentini ad parochos Pii V. pont. Max. iussu editus. Editione praefuit Petrus Rodriguez, Eam instruendam atque apparandam item curaverunt Ildephonsus Adeva, Franciscus Domingo, Radulfus Lanzetti et Marcellus Merino. Citta del Vaticano u. a .: Libreria Editrice Vaticana u. a. 1989
  • Last German edition: The Roman Catechism: Katechismus romanus; Catechism for pastors according to the decision of the Council of Trent: translated from the edition with subject index published in Rome in 1855. Churches (victory): Petrus 1970 ( 2 1993)

meaning

The Catechism Romanus is one of the most important documents of the ordinary magisterium of the Catholic Church, to which the Popes repeatedly refer in their teaching letters . Pope John Paul II said in his Apostolic Letter Catechesi Tradendae of October 16, 1979 (no. 13) on the relationship between the Council and the Catechism: “The catechetical service is constantly gaining new strength at the councils. The Council of Trent offers a remarkable example: it has given precedence to catechesis in its constitutions and decrees. It inspired the 'Roman Catechism', which bears his name and is a work of the first order as a summary of Christian teaching and traditional theology for use by priests. ”Also the Catechism of the Catholic Church published following the Second Vatican Council (1992) is not only divided into four parts like the Roman Catechism, but it also cites it 17 times and expressly counts it among the "Church documents".

literature

  • Gerhard J. Bellinger : The Catechism Romanus and the Reformation: the catechetical answer of the Council of Trent to the main catechisms of the reformers. Bonifacius-Druckerei, Paderborn 1970 (reprint: Olms, Hildesheim 1987, ISBN 3-487-07849-X ).
  • Gerhard J. Bellinger: Bibliography of the Catechism Romanus ex decreto Concilii Tridentini ad Parochos: 1566–1978. Koerner, Baden-Baden 1983, ISBN 3-87320-087-2 .
  • Gerhard J. Bellinger: The Catechism Romanus of the Council of Trent. A manual for preaching and teaching the believer . In: Rottenburger Jahrbuch für Kirchengeschichte , Vol. 16 (1997), ISBN 3-7995-6366-0 , pp. 23-40.
  • Michael F. Feldkamp : Catechism Romanus. In: Michael Eckert u. a. (Ed.): Lexicon of theological works. Kröner, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-520-49301-2 ; Pp. 70-71

Web links

Wikisource: Catechism  - Sources and Full Texts

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Pope Pius V wrote on July 1, 1566: "Catechismus absolutus fuit." (The catechism is closed.), Quoted from Gerhard Bellinger: Der Catechismus Romanus und die Reformation. The catechetical answer of the Council of Trent to the main catechisms of the reformers . Olms, Hildesheim 1987, p. 34.