The Catechism of the Council of Trent

Tradivox Catholic Catechism Index #7

by Pope Pius V, John A. McHugh (Translator), Charles J. Callan (Translator)

The authoritative catechism produced by the Council of Trent and published by order of St. Pius V. was originally commissioned during the Reformation period, in order to explain the Faith clearly and calmly in the face of Protestant objections. It still serves as an excellent compendium of the Church's traditional life and belief.

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

662 pages, Kindle Edition

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Luís de Santa Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be a mandatory read for every Catholic.

[Joseph Yue · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Catechism given to us by the Church!

[Marie ☩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

superior Catechism. Catholics yearning for unadulterated Truth should be reading this.. not the CCC.

[Paul Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Wanderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best reference for Catholic teaching in my opinion.

[Stacey Modrusan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pope St. Pius V was cooking.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Pacific Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tradition.

[Coleman Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only catechism to be declared infallible by the Church.

[Jeremias · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Josef Gottlieb · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

📕Published — 1830. In the public domain.

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

[Diana]

Very informative!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Relevant and not difficult to understand.

[Mason Rousseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Joshua Birdsong · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Catechisms. Very traditional

[Matthew Purt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this after the current catechism.

[Mary Marsell · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compared to what I've read of the new Catechism (CCC), this one is noticeably clearer and a more pleasant reading experience, although less detailed. The analogies and references to Scripture and Church Fathers used are clear and fairly easy to make sense of. In addition, not only is this book an explanation of the Catholic faith, it is an exhortation to live it: the language used is impassioned, owing to its intention for use by priests in instructing the faithful. 

I will note that the CCC has over this version the advantages of more detail as well as numerous footnotes, numbered paragraphs and a good index, making it easy to cross-reference passages and look things up quickly. With this in mind it can't easily be said that either version is superior. 

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great affordable edition

Well indexed and arranged edition of the Roman Catechism. There are some types, typical of OCR work but they do not hinder the readability of the text and are extremely few and far between and easily dispelled by context.