Catechisms: a turbulent history in modern times

There are a number of conceptions of a catechism that die hard. In this article, Joël Molinario provides a historical and theological perspective that can help us move beyond them. History: the catechism, born with the dawn of the modern era and whose creation was linked to the establishment of schools, was to become an object of controversy, notably vis-à-vis Protestants and modern ideas. Theology: the catechism comprised a theological and pastoral focus on the Gospel seen as doctrine, on catechisms as a defence of dogma and on Revelation considered as the sum of truths to be believed. The catechism was understood in the early modern era as the logical culmination of a process of intellectualizing the faith or even as the almost exclusive vector for the transmission of the faith or even of access to salvation. Even if the image inherited from this understanding of catechism has not disappeared, the Second Vatican Council was decisive in establishing a distinction between catechesis and a catechism. This distinction has now come to mean that catechesis can draw on two distinct and complementary documents: the General Directory for Catechesis and The Catechism of the Catholic Church. The reception of the latter text can therefore contribute to greater serenity in the current, postmodern context.