The Catechism of the Council of Trent
The Catechism of the Council of Trent, also referred to as The Roman Catechism, was issued by order of Pope Pius V.
The introduction briefly goes through the history of the text. There have been many catechisms through the centuries. At the beginning of the Council of Trent in 1545 under Pope Paul III, a uniform instructional text was called for.
However, due to other matters, it was not until sixteen years later—during which Pope Julius III had reigned and died—when a commission was appointed in 1562 under Pope Paul IV. Soon afterwards, it was decided that instead of a text for children and uninstructed adults, the goal was to compile a more comprehensive text for priests.
When Pope Paul IV died and Pope Paul V succeeded in 1566, he had the manuscript reviewed. The text did not have headings or sufficient breaks, so he had the text organized into parts.
The text is intended for priests so it is not written in Q&A format and it is not brief. The English translation available today is typically around six hundred pages and was translated by John A. McHugh OP STM Litt D and Charles J. Callan OP STM Litt D.
Structurally, it is similar to other catechisms. In this case, it is organized into four parts, each with an introductory section and subheadings:
Part I: The Creed, divided into 12 Articles.
Part II: The Sacraments, divided into the 7 Sacraments.
Part III: The Decalogue, divided into 9 subheadings with the 9th and 10th Commandments under one subheading.
Part IV: The Lord’s Prayer, divided into 7 Petitions.
The text is comprehensive and is mostly not difficult to read despite its length. It is a shame there isn’t a condensed version because it is possible to tighten it into Q&A format without losing any of the salient points.
Either way, unlike the other catechisms which are (also) intended for children, this one is very well referenced, including not merely Scripture but also works of the Church Fathers and the Summa.
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