QUESTION 1: IS THE NEW CATECHISM THE CATECHISM OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL? ANSWER 1: Yes, answers John Paul II in his Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum which serves as an introduction to this new Catechism: "Following the liturgical renewal and the new Code of Canon Law of the Latin Church as well as the Canons of the Catholic Eastern Churches, this Catechism will bring a very important contribution to the work of completely renewing every aspect of Church life, a renewal which was called for and implemented by the Second Vatican Council." Moreover, the Pope quotes from his own 1985 declaration: "As for me - who had the special grace of actively participating and collaborating in its development - Vatican II has always been and still is, in a particular way, in these years of my pontificate, the constant reference point of all my pastoral actions in a conscious effort to apply its (Vatican II) instructions concretely and faithfully at all levels of each church as well as of the entire Church. We must continuously return to this source." And so now, following the conciliar Mass and the conciliar new Canon Law, we have a (new) conciliar Catechism? QUESTION 2: IS THE NEW CATECHISM THE CATECHISM OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL? ANSWER 2: No, declares the modernist Jesuit Rene Marle, editor of the journal Etudes: "Roughly speaking, this Catechism teaches the morality of 'the honest man' according to Jules Ferry (the disastrous Minister of Public Education in France from 1880 to 1885). Now, the Faith is something else entirely: it is mystical and theological; It involves existence or being without saying in advance anything about right and wrong. Such a Catechism could not in any way be considered 'progressive,' but we were certainly not expecting such an indigestible mishmash. The Roman authorities are drawing themselves closer and closer around the bishops, As though the (Catholic) Church had nothing to learn from the people of God. Biblical writings or texts have been left out by the previously constituted party apparatus. But it is not the Pope's infallibility, which nourishes the Faith. And a goodly sprinkling of Vatican II quotations will never suffice to make us believe that the new Catechism respects the 'spirit' of Vatican II. The wording used at that Council was a living or moving discourse Because a dogma is a truth which each person discovers through his own history or experience during his earthly life. This Catechism has forgotten or ignored this point. (see December 1992 issue of Etudes)" In short, Father Marle considers that the new Catechism completely disregards that which is vital for the modernist: the immanence of Revelation, which was condemned by Saint Pius X in his Encyclical Pascendi. Unfortunately, this Reverend Father Marle must prefer his own little Etudes (studies) to the official texts of the Magisterium. However, the question still remains: QUESTION 3: IS THE NEW CATECHISM THE CATECHISM OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, YES OR NO? ANSWER 3: Yes, if we consider the fact that one of the main concerns of this Council was to promote ecumenism. On this major point, the new Catechism is the faithful image of Vatican II. In fact, on the subject of unity of the Church, the authors of this Catechism quote Article 8 of Chapter 1 of Lumen Gentium wherein doubt and ambiguity have been inserted into the very definition of the Church: "The One Church of Christ ...is the one of Our Saviour which, after His Resurrection, He committed to Peter's care in his role of Shepherd of the Church and of which He entrusted to Peter and the other Apostles the task of spreading and directing.... This Church, constituted as a society and organized in this world, is realized in (subsist in) the Catholic Church, which is governed, by the Successor of Peter as well as the bishops in communion with him. (#816, p. 179)" - We must grasp the importance of the meaning of the translation of subsistit in by realized in. The following is the explanation given by Father Mucci, SJ., in Civilta Cattolica, which was reported and elaborated upon in the last issue of Courrier de Rome, November 1992. For Ecumenical reasons, we no longer declare that this Church of Christ is the Catholic Church (which would prevent one from attributing the concept as well as the nature of the true Church to heretical and/or schismatic sects), but that it only SUBSISTS; (subsist in) but that it is only present in the Catholic Church. This is tantamount to maintaining, as is actually done ecumenically, that the Church of Christ subsists and is also present - even though in a less perfect way - in the other so-called Christian "Churches." And all this flies in the face of those eternal truths of the Divine and Catholic Faith which teach that no church outside of the Roman Catholic Church can be the Church of Jesus Christ, nor can it even constitute a part of it. (Catechism of Saint Pius X)" In fact, the new Catechism contradicts the Catechism of Saint Pius X when it makes bold to affirm: "Many elements of sanctification and of truth (Lumen Gentium #8) exist outside the visible limits of the Catholic Church: the written word of God, the life of grace, Faith, Hope, and Charity, as well as other interior gifts of the Holy Ghost, together with other visible elements (Unitatis redintegratio #3, cf Lumen Gentium #15). The Church of Christ makes use of these Churches and whose strength lies in the plenitude or fullness of grace and truth, which Christ entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these divine treasures come from Christ and lead back to Him (Unitatis redintegratio #3) thus begetting by themselves Catholic unity (Lumen Gentium #8). (#819, p. 180)" And to all this, Archbishop Lefebvre answered: "This is nothing but heresy! The Roman Catholic Church is the sole means of eternal salvation. Separated as they are from the unity of the true Faith, the Protestant sects cannot be used by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost can only act directly upon souls or use means (Baptism, for example), which in themselves do not constitute a sign of separation, it is theoretically possible for a person to be saved in protestantism but not by Protestantism! (They Have Uncrowned Him, p, 176)" So, Father Marle can certainly rest assured while we may well be alarmed for on this single definition of the unity of the Church, this Catechism does not belong to the Catholic Church. back