Dear Matthew,

Thanks for the questions.  

Any Catechism itself is not infallible but can contain teaching that is infallible.  When a Catechism receives an imprimatur, that means that a particular Bishop has considered it free from content that contradicts the faith; that is not a guarantee of infallibility, but only a discernment of a particular Bishop who himself is not infallible.  Thus, it is theoretically possible for an error to be in a Catechism, for a Bishop can overlook an error, or even be in error himself.  

• So are we at a complete loss as to what is a reliable Catechism?  

Of course not.  The perennial teaching of the church can be used to measure the content of any Catechism, and when in doubt the sum of all parts helps to sort out discrepancies.  

For example, the latest Catechism as modified (in the reign of Pope Francis) has language with respect to the death penalty, which is not in accord with the tradition of the Church throughout the span of its history.  That will require clarification from a subsequent Catechism, and possibly a correction.  There are other matters that have emerged during this Pontificate that have not been in accord with the Moral teaching of the Church, and have prompted Dubia from Cardinals and Bishops in recent years, and are yet to be clarified: i.e., the reception of Communion for the divorced and remarried, the blessing of homosexual relationships, and several others that, should they make their way into a Catechism in this current trend, would be errors.

In short, we are living in confusing times, and your recourse to the Catechism of the Council of Trent is not surprising.  I also refer to it often as it is a good clear exposition of the faith.  

That being said, the more recent Catechism has many beautiful and deep expositions, and if you listen to the Catechism in a year with Fr. Mike Schmitz, you will see how rich it can be, for he does a great job presenting it.  You can find it on Hallow, Spotify and many other platforms.  

Lastly, don't give up on the Church, or yourself, for that matter.  Our Lord has allowed this time of confusion for some reason in the divine plan.  Perhaps he is sifting out the wheat from the chaff, and he wants us to remain faithful to Him, alone, with little else.  I think the whole church is in a desert experience right now, and more than ever we must survive on the Manna He gives us, not what we want Him to give us.  Like the Israelites did to God and Moses, I am tempted to grumble all the time, but I know He just wants me to put one foot in front of the other and do what I am called to do in the here and now.

There will be clarity at some point, for our Hope is in Him, so just hold on.

Peace,

Bob Kirby

Dear Matthew,

Our team had a mini-debate over this issue about 17 years ago. This posting was the result of that debate:

• Should the Catechism be viewed as an infallible exposition or perfectible set of faith guidelines?

You said:
I am a practicing Catholic, but something in the last few years has disturbed me.

I have ignored it, but people say that the modern Catechism is infallible and, therefore, we must believe everything in it even though it contains errors in which I will never assent to.

• Who told you it contained errors?

Any ordinary bishop, religious, or lay man can claim the Catechism has errors but that doesn't mean it does! A good indicator is whether they are faithful to the Holy Father, have a devotion to the Eucharist and a devotion to Our Blessed Mother.

As I said in this previous reply:

I hope this helps and you find it useful,

Just my two cents.

Mike

Matthew,

It is only infallible when it's teaching something defined as infallible.

John