Compendium of Catechism to be ready for publication in time for WYD 2005

Vatican City, May 17, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The long-awaited Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be ready in time for World Youth Day 2005, which will take place in Cologne, Germany.

Sources from the Holy See informed CNA that the Compendium, which will significantly summarize the original Catechism, is in the revision stages and should be ready in time for the coming WYD which Pope Benedict XVI will attend.

The Compendium was requested by the bishops of the world at the 10^th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism, and the task was entrusted by Pope John Paul II to then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  Now, as Pope himself, Benedict XVI will approve its publication.

Sources told CNA the Compendium is “more of a synthesis than a simplification,” that is, “the theological language used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be almost completely retained.”

However, sources said the Compendium “balances this continuity in the language with the simplification of some concepts to make them more accessible to the reader.”