Videoconference December 12^th 2003

Bishop Gerhardt Ludwig Müller

"You therefore must go, making disciples of all nations", this mandate set by Jesus and reported by Matthew in chapter 28 of his Gospel, was and remains a task and a commitment for the Church. The Church’s effort to lead humankind to faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was already known at the time as catechesis. Consequently there is the need to express Christian Teaching and to explain it systematically. The sources for catechesis are the Councils, which formulate in a binding manner the faith’s most important contents. This is also the objective of the existing Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) that: "aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental contents of Catholic doctrine, as regards both faith and morals, in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's Tradition " (CCC, Prologue III 11). The addressee of the catechesis finds himself face to face with the fundamental contents of the faith. The Holy Scriptures, the Father of the Church, liturgical development and the texts of the Church’s Teachings are all revealed to him. As a kind of epitome of the faith it works as a reference book for those wishing to confront the contents of the faith. At the same time this book is a valid support for faith and or the catechesis of the catechists themselves. The CCC’s first addressees are the Bishops as teachers of the faith and Pastors of the Church and it is offered to them as a tool for fulfilling their duty to guide God’s people. Priests and catechists are other addressees of the Catechism that is conceived "as an organic presentation of the Catholic faith in its entirety" ( CCC, Prologue V 18). The catechist’s responsibility consists above all in considering the profession of the baptismal faith (symbol), the Sacraments of the faith, the life of faith (Offering) and the prayers of the faithful (Our Father) as the interior definition of His announcement.

Our faith is concerned with its rationality. Is believing rational? An inner battle is necessary for taking the step that leads to a rational encounter with the faith in Jesus Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains information for a first treatment of the Christian faith, but it also provides an opportunity for a more in-depth analysis of known subjects. The CCC is indispensable for catechesis because it makes accessible the Church’s entire patrimony of faith and its presentation in a complete book.