Catechism of the Catholic Church Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Contents == The ''Catechism'' is a source on which to base other Catholic catechisms (e.g., ''[[Youcat|YOUCAT]]'' or the ''United States Catholic Catechism for Adults'') and other expositions of Catholic doctrine. As stated in the [[apostolic constitution]] ''Fidei depositum'', with which its publication was ordered, it was given so "that it may be a sure and authentic reference text for teaching Catholic doctrine and particularly for preparing local catechisms".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19921011_fidei-depositum_en.html|title=Fidei Depositum β John Paul II β Apostolic Constitution (11 October 1992)|publisher=Vatican.va|access-date=2014-07-31}}</ref> The ''Catechism'' is arranged in four principal parts:<ref>{{Cite CCC|2.1|toc}}</ref> * The [[Profession of faith|Profession of Faith]] (the [[Apostles' Creed]]) * The Celebration of the [[Sacred mysteries#Christianity|Christian Mystery]] (the [[Catholic liturgy|Sacred Liturgy]], and especially the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|sacraments]]) * Life in [[Christ]] (including [[Ten Commandments in Catholic theology|the Ten Commandments]]) * [[Christian prayer|Christian Prayer]] (including the [[Lord's Prayer]]) The section on Scripture in the ''Catechism'' covers the [[Church Fathers|Patristic]] tradition of "spiritual [[exegesis]]" as further developed through the [[Scholasticism|scholastic]] doctrine of the "[[Four senses of Scripture|four senses]]".<ref>{{Cite CCC|2.1|101β141}}</ref> The ''Catechism'' by specifies that the necessary spiritual interpretation should be sought through the four senses of Scripture.<ref>{{Cite CCC|v=2.1|para=111, 113, 115β119}}</ref> The literal sense pertains to the meaning of the words themselves, including any figurative meanings.<ref>{{Cite CCC|2.1|116}}</ref> The spiritual senses pertain to the significance of the things (persons, places, objects or events) denoted by the words. Of the three spiritual senses, the allegorical sense is foundational. It relates persons, events, and institutions of earlier covenants to those of later covenants, and especially to the [[New Covenant]]. Building on the allegorical sense, the moral sense instructs in regard to action, and the anagogical sense points to man's final destiny.<ref>{{Cite CCC|2.1|117}}</ref> The teaching of the ''Catechism'' on Scripture has encouraged the pursuit of [[Covenantal theology (Roman Catholic)|covenantal theology]], an approach that employs the four senses to structure salvation history via the biblical covenants.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQjXjnoS3GcC |title=Covenant and Communion: The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI |author=Scott W. Hahn |author-link=Scott Hahn |publisher=Brazos Press |year=2009 |isbn=9781441205230 |pages=108β109}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5hO1wCHP0nUC |title=For the Sake of Our Salvation: The Truth and Humility of God's Word |others=Volume 6 of Letter & spirit |editor=Scott Hahn |editor-link=Scott Hahn |publisher=Emmaus Road Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=9781931018685 |pages=126β127}}</ref> === Paragraph 2267 (capital punishment) === {{Main|Catholic Church and capital punishment#Modification to the Catechism (2018)}} One of the changes in the 1997 update consisted of the inclusion of the position on the [[death penalty]] that is defended in John Paul II's [[encyclical]] ''[[Evangelium vitae]]'' of 1995.<ref>{{cite web|title=The death penalty and the catechism|url=http://old.usccb.org/sdwp/national/criminal/catechism.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312145145/http://old.usccb.org/sdwp/national/criminal/catechism.shtml|archive-date=12 March 2013|access-date=12 May 2012|publisher=[[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]]}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=May 2016}} The paragraph dealing with the death penalty (2267) was revised again by [[Pope Francis]] in 2018. The text previously stated (1997):<ref name="Bordoni">{{Cite web|date=August 2, 2018|title=Pope Francis: 'death penalty inadmissable' β Vatican News|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-08/pope-francis-cdf-ccc-death-penalty-revision-ladaria.html|website=www.vaticannews.va}}</ref> {{cquote|Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person. Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm β without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself β the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically nonexistent." }} The 2018 change to the ''Catechism'' reads:<ref>{{cite web|title=Nuova redazione del n. 2267 del Catechismo della Chiesa Cattolica sulla pena di morte|url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2018/08/02/0556/01209.html|access-date=9 August 2018|publisher=[[Holy See Press Office]]}}</ref><ref name="Bordoni" /> {{cquote|Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good. Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption. Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that "the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person", and the Catholic Church works with determination for its abolition worldwide. }} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. 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