Papal Nuncio presents Compendium Catechism

The new Compendium Catechism of the Catholic Church has been presented in England and Scotland this week.

On Monday, at the end of the Mass to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II at Westminster Cathedral, the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munoz, presented the book to Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. Copies were then in turn given by the Cardinal to individuals representing families, children and young people.

In Scotland on Tuesday, Cardinal Keith O'Brien received the Compendium from the Nuncio on behalf of Scotland's Catholics.

The publisher in England, Wales and Scotland is the Catholic Truth Society, which published the popular 'Penny Catechism' in the 19th century.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said: "Pope John Paul II showed in his extraordinary papacy how important it is to present what St Peter called 'the reasons for the faith that is in us'. I hope every Catholic will consider acquiring the Compendium for their own sake, and for the sake of our society hungering for the Gospel."

Archbishop Kevin McDonald of Southwark said: "The publication of the Compendium of the Catechism is both timely and necessary. There are many people both within the Church and outside it who are looking for a clear and succinct statement of the teaching of the Church. This authoritative text fills a real need and will be an invaluable source of reference."

Archbishop Peter Smith of Cardiff said: "The new Compendium summarises the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and provides in a very accessible form an authoritative and authentic guide to the Catholic faith. It will be an excellent resource for individuals, catechists and schools and for all those who are seeking to learn more about the teaching of the Catholic Church. It comes in a very handy size, is beautifully illustrated and very reasonably priced."

Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow said: "This will be a tremendous resource for schools, adult education providers and catechists. It offers what the Holy Father calls a 'faithful and secure' representation of the Church's teachings in an attractive pocket-sized format. It is beautifully presented, is enriched with full colour plates chosen by the Holy Father himself and is being competitively priced to ensure that no-one is excluded from its reach.

The Compendium Catechism of the Catholic Church, published by CTS can be bought through ICN via Amazon on our home page. We shall be carrying a review in the next few days.

first posted LONDON - 6 April 2006 - 412 words