The Catechism of Saint Pius X is the name commonly used to designate a 1908 book titled ''Catechismo della Dottrina Cristiana'' (''Catechism of the Christian doctrine''), issued at the order of

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

with questions and answers regarding the essentials of

Catholic faith The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a p ...

. A shortened version was published in 1930 with the addition of illustration.

Characteristics

Saint

Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

intended a

Catechism A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...

that all

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

could relate to and understand. Issued at the beginning of the twentieth century in Italian, ''Catechismo della dottrina Cristiana, Pubblicato per Ordine del Sommo Pontifice San Pio X'' deals in less than 50 pages with all questions of

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

and

morality Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of cond ...

in a simple but comprehensive form. The Catechism begins with a listing of the most important

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...

s of the Catholic Church. The book has only three parts,

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

, the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ� ...

and

Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

English editions

Pius X's original catechism was first translated in English by Msgr. John Hagan, Vice-Rector of the Irish College in Rome, in 1910. Modern English printings of the ''Catechism of Saint Pius X'' are typically sourced from a 1974 translation by Rev. Msgr. Eugene Kevane. Additionally, Kevane's edition is directly translated from the Italian catechism ''Catechismo della Dottrina Cristiana'', a 1953 abridgement of Pius X's original version. Kevane's version also possessed additional changes to the text to adapt it "according to the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

", resulting in further alterations to Pius X's work. As such, modern English printings omit parts of the original text, including Pius X's writings on the existence of the Limbo of the Infants. Sophia Institute Press's '' Tradivox Vol. 8'' reprints the original unaltered 1910 English translation by Hagan.

Recent developments

Second Vatican Council

Following the Second Council of the Vatican, the Catechism of Saint Pius X fell into disuse. The

Dutch Catechism The Dutch Catechism of 1966 (''De Nieuwe Katechismus, geloofsverkondiging voor volwassenen''; English translation: ''A New Catechism: Catholic Faith for Adults'') was the first post-Vatican II Catholic catechism. It was commissioned and authorized ...

of 1966, authored by theologians

Edward Schillebeeckx Edward Cornelis Florentius Alfonsus Schillebeeckx (November 12, 1914–December 23, 2009) was a Belgian Catholic theologian born in Antwerp. He taught at the Catholic University in Nijmegen. He was a member of the Dominican Order. His books on ...

and Piet Schoonenberg was proposed as a successor to it, but was met by strong opposition by conservative sectors of the Church due to its perceived

Modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

. The debate ended with the promulgation of the 1992

Catechism of the Catholic Church The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ( la, Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae; commonly called the ''Catechism'' or the ''CCC'') is a catechism promulgated for the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II in 1992. It aims to summarize, in book for ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. Despite this, the Catechism of Saint Pius X, alongside the 1566

Roman Catechism The Roman Catechism or Catechism of the Council of Trent is a compendium of Catholic doctrine commissioned during the Counter-Reformation by the Council of Trent, to expound doctrine and to improve the theological understanding of the clergy. ...

, is still widely used by

Traditionalist Catholics Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church before the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1 ...

Pope Benedict XVI

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

, when discussing the forthcoming ''Compendium of the

'', referred to the catechism of Saint Pius X: "The faith, as such, is always the same. Therefore, St. Pius X's catechism always retains its value ��There can be persons or groups that feel more comfortable with St. Pius X's catechism. .. at Catechism stemmed from a text that was prepared by the Pope himself ius Xwhen he was

Bishop of Mantua The Diocese of Mantua ( la, Dioecesis Mantuana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. The diocese existed at the beginning of the 8th century, though the earliest attested bishop is Laiulfus (827). ...

. The text was the fruit of the personal catechetical experience of Giuseppe Sarto ius X whose characteristics were simplicity of exposition and depth of content. Also because of this, St. Pius X's catechism might have friends in the future".

Marital obligations

The succinctness the Catechism is exemplified in the enumeration of the obligations of married persons.

Q. Which are the principal obligations of married persons? A. Married persons should: (1) Guard inviolably their conjugal fidelity and behave always and in all things as Christians; (2) Love one another, be patient with one another, and live in peace and concord; (3) Think seriously of providing for their children, if they have any, according to their needs; bring them up as Christians, and leave them free to choose the state of life to which they are called by God.Catechismo della dottrina Cristiana, Pubblicato per Ordine del Sommo Pontifice San Pio X, Il Sabato, 1999, p.106-10

References

{{reflist

External links

The Catechism of St. Pius X
1908 non-fiction books 1908 in Christianity Catechisms of the Catholic Church Pope Pius X