The Catechism of the Council of Trent

Tradivox Catholic Catechism Index #7

by Pope Pius V

Compiled under the direction of St. Charles Borromeo and recognized as the most authoritative Catholic catechism. Leo XIII recommended two books-- the Summa and this Catechism--for all seminarians! Pope Benedict XVI, as a Cardinal, called it the most important Catholic Catechism. Originally designed to supply parish priest with an official book of instruction, it has been used extensively by the laity as a steadying guide in our confused age. New typesetting and beautiful hardbound cover.

Genres: Catholic, Theology, Religion, Christianity, Reference, Nonfiction, History

720 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1566

About the author

Pope Saint Pius V born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was Pope from 8 January 1566 to his death in 1572. He is venerated as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman rite within the Latin Church. Pius V declared Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church.

As a cardinal, Ghislieri gained a reputation for putting orthodoxy before personalities, prosecuting eight French bishops for heresy. He also stood firm against nepotism, rebuking his predecessor Pope Pius IV to his face when he wanted to make a 13-year-old member of his family a cardinal and subsidize a nephew from the papal treasury.

By means of his papal bull of 1570, Regnans in Excelsis, Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth I of England for heresy and persecution of English Catholics during her reign. He also arranged the formation of the Holy League, an alliance of Catholic states. Although outnumbered, the Holy League famously defeated the Ottoman Empire, which had threatened to overrun Europe, at the Battle of Lepanto. Pius V attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory.

Reviews

[Justinian the Great]

This abolishes the Protestant errors, and the V-II errors.

[Luís de Santa Maria]

Should be a mandatory read for every Catholic.

[Joseph Yue]

Rigorously precise and as clear as day, the best Catholic catechism ever produced - and it shall remain so. I am yet to read a protestant catechism or confession of faith that quotes the Sacred Scripture as diligently as the Roman Catechism, not to mention its constant reference to the Church Fathers. But when one learned that its composers are the glorious Counter-Reformation saints who not only bathed themselves in the Sacred Scripture and consumed the writings of Fathers as breakfast, but also performed real miracles once a while, then the theological and spiritual excellence of this work would not come across as a surprise.

[Robert Tessmer]

No longer being a Roman Catholic, I found this to be a bit of a slog. It does give a very good summary of Roman Catholic thought at the time of the Counter Reformation.

This greatest of Catechisms was published after the great Council of Trent in response to the errors of the protestant revolt. It was edited under the guidance of Saint Charles Borromeo and was used for centuries (with the approbation of many Popes) as an important part in the formation of Catholic priests. It is specifically written to instruct priests and religious, but as the introduction to the work says, this catechism is designed for, "such as have care of souls in those things that belong peculiarly to the pastoral office . . ." So it is intended ultimately for the instruction of all the faithful.

While it is not a complete and exhaustive explanation of every detail of every dogma, it is designed to present a basic and overall understanding which any Catholic should possess. At a time when many Church teachings are greatly misunderstood by many even among the faithful of the Church, The Roman Catechism speaks with an authority unparalleled by any other catechism due to its centuries of hallowed use and approval by so many Ecclesiastical authorities and Supreme Pontiffs. I highly recommend it to anyone serious about understanding the Catholic Faith.

[Kazango]

An excellent pastoral catechism which has stood the test of time. How does it differ from the new Catechism? Primarily in its audience and intent, which was to serve as a catechetical manual for parish priests so that they may instruct their flocks. In contrast the new Catechism is primarily directed to catechists who will use it for source material for local catechisms. So a major difference is that the older book is more pastoral in tone, maybe, and less ordered toward theological detail.

Both are excellent, and both can serve a valuable purpose in the lives of Christians.

[B0N0FVCE]

Best Catechism given to us by the Church!

[Paul Jensen]

This is a must-read for every theologically serious Catholic! It is for good reason that the modern Catechism still refers to this in many dogmatic matters, as the two Saints (one being a Doctor) who aimed to compose this melded everyday practical concerns with the richness of Thomistic thought.

Some sections I especially recommend, if one is short on time:

-Ascension of Christ
-Sacrament of Penance (and how it relates to Christian works)
-The promise of prosperity in the Commandment to Honor Father and Mother, and why the good can die young
-The entire part on the Our Father, especially on the petition "deliver us from evil".

I listened to a 129-day audio book and read along in a physical copy of the Fr. McHugh edition, which provides footnotes from Sts. Augustine and Aquinas. I recommend this edition and reading the footnotes!

[J.]

Time and other occupations prevented me from finishing it through and through. Nevertheless, if you keep to its liturgical year study plan, you will get a sense of the format throughout the year. Nevertheless, it was hard at times to read everything in a single sitting and I would recommend (for those with busy schedules) to spread out your reading commitments throughout the week. Each weekly catechist is divided into two categories: Dogmatic and Moral, break up your week into two parts and dedicate yourself to both categories.

[Wanderson]

The best reference for Catholic teaching in my opinion.

[Stacey Modrusan]

Easier to read than I expected. A must read for those who want to understand their Catholic faith and history.

[Alan]

Pope St. Pius V was cooking.

[Kristina]

This is a thick tome for a beginning Christian. Even someone who has some knowledge of basic terms like sin as a convert, we have to be careful. Pray fervently without ceasing as you go through this because it also gives us the dogmatic and moral subjects for each week in the liturgical calendar. It is in the Old Form so Advent, Lent, The Passion, and Pentecost are not separated by what our modern sensibilities call ordinary time.

[Emily]

Very well-organized and in-depth explanation of the Faith. Full of quotes from saints, clergy, and most importantly Scripture to illustrate and explain theological concepts. Goes through the Creed, Sacraments, Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer in a way which will help to deepen one’s relationship with Christ and better their understanding of Catholic teaching.

[Jimmy]

Excellent explanation of the Catholic Faith, without the corruption of Vatican II. For example, it clearly explains why the First Commandment forbids the worship of false gods and commands the worship of the one, true God. It gives an in-depth look at each of the Sacraments, the Creed, the Commandments, and the Our Father.

[Susan Molloy]

✒️A necessary catechism to read for everyone. Easy to understand.

📕Published — 1830. In the public domain.

જ⁀🔵Read on ⅈꪀ𝕥ꫀ𝕣ꪀꫀ𝕥 ꪖ𝕣ᥴꫝⅈꪜꫀ.
༺༻༺༻✬༺༻༺༻✬༺༻༺༻✬༺༻༺༻

[Pacific Lee]

Tradition.

[Coleman Benson]

Only catechism to be declared infallible by the Church.

[Jeremias]

I attended Roman Catholic schools for twelve years. I also added an undergraduate Roman Catholic college and seminary. Unfortunately it was during the time the church was struggling to catechize children following Vatican II. Though Vatican II did not negate anything from the Council of Trent, I feel that my religious education was watered down. The Catechism of Trent provides the solid foundation for why Catholics believe what we believe. This particular edition is very user friendly and I would recommend it to any Catholic who is serious about understanding their faith.

[Gene Arthur Molloy]

This is a must read for anyone who dares to call themselves a Traditional Catholic. Whilst I was schooled on the Baltimore Catechism, The Catechism of the Council of Trent reaches even further back.
In 1545 the Catholic Church was fighting heretical teachings, and needed this book to bring forth its teachings in a uniform, straightforward manner. As any Traditional Catholic can see today, the lines have been blurred by “the spirit of Vatican II” and “the Synodal Church”, so once again we need to consult the old books in order to keep the faith. This book is a great resource in that regard.

[Josef Gottlieb]

The Tenets of Trent

The "Catechism of the Catholic Church" is an important theological text that is sure to prove useful and interesting even to non-Catholics. It explains the tripartite nature of God, the Seven Sacraments, the structure of the Church, the Ten Commandments, and the nature and purpose of prayer. This edition has some strange formatting, but it is readable and (as far as I know) complete.

[Trey Henry]

I finally finished, and I am glad I did. It is a really good summary for Catholics. I recommend all Catholics read this catechism and the modern catechism; each cover various topics, and each have different emphasis on certain matters, each filling in where the other is lacking.

[Diana]

Very informative!

[Theresa]

Excellent! Relevant and not difficult to understand.

[Mason Rousseau]

The definitive guide to Catholic study and apologetics, and if you can't find your answer here, just look in the Summa.

[Joshua Birdsong]

One of the best Catechisms. Very traditional

[Matthew Purt]

Read this after the current catechism.

[Gazmend Ceno]

A must read for every Catholic (knowledge is power). And if a protestant read this book - he will run towards ROME as fast as humanly possible.

[Mary Marsell]

I've been reading this book for two years and will continue to read it as a reference guide to the Christian faith.

[John]

Refreshing to read the Faith presented with such clarity and simplicity.

While the first section on the Creed focuses on foundational theological dogma, the subsequent two sections on the Sacraments and the Decalogue have countless little beautiful insights and practical admonitions that are a joy to learn.

[James Smith]

The Catechism of the Council of Trent (1566) is a clear, ordered snapshot of Catholic doctrine as the Church defined it in the immediate wake of the Protestant Reformation. Commissioned by Trent and issued under Pius V, it was written primarily for priests so they could teach the Creed, the Sacraments, the Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer with precision and pastoral force.

It is pre-Vatican II in every sense: the tone, the questions it answers, and the world it assumes all belong to the Counter-Reformation. Later developments in theology, psychology, and sociology are simply not present. That is both its limitation and its value. What you get is an unfiltered look at how the Church understood itself when it felt it had to draw bright lines against error.

The structure is logical and the teaching is often lucid. The repetition, however, is relentless. Points are restated, expanded, and restated again. On audio that quality becomes especially noticeable.

Useful as a historical document and as a window onto a particular moment of Catholic self-definition. Not a complete picture of the faith as it has been received and developed since.