Bishop opens 'gateway' to the Catechism

By Luke Coppen
A NEW pocket-sized summary of the Catholic faith will serve as a "gateway" to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a senior bishop said at its launch last week.
Bishop David Konstant of Leeds said that the book, The Faith of the Catholic Church, would make the Catechism more accessible to adults inquiring into Catholic belief. It would also be an invaluable tool for priests, teachers, catechists and people preparing to be received into the Catholic Church.
"I like to think it would be useful for adults who are looking for something to hold onto but aren't able to read the whole Catechism," said Bishop Konstant, who translated and edited the book from the original Italian.
The bishop said, however, that the new book should not be seen as an alternative to the Catechism. "The thing one always has to be careful about is that people don't take this as the beginning and end of everything. It's only a handbook. That's all,"Bishop Konstant, who was involved in the prepa ration of the universal Catechism, said.
The 160-page book, launched by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS) last Wednesday, presents the contents of the new Catechism in the question and answer format of the classic Penny Catechism.
Like the new Catechism, it is arranged in four sections — the profession of faith, celebration of the Christian mystery, life in Christ and Christian prayer.
Like the Penny Catechism, it provides concise and easy-to-remember answers to brief theological and moral questions. It also includes a appendix of common Catholic prayers and glossary of key terms.
Bishop Konstant said the idea of a pocket-sized summary of the Catechism was first suggested by a Sister of Mercy, whom he met in Rome.
The sister showed him a copy of an Italian book, Sintesi del nuovo catechismo, which she encouraged him to translate into English.
A year later, the bishop visited the book's authors in Bologna and obtained permission to translate and adapt it.
Bishop Konstant said the changes were relatively minor, but that the English version contained more on ecumenism and on the Eucharist that the Italian original.
Fergal Martin, General Secretary of the CTS, said it was significant that the book was launched in the publishing house's own bookshop in Westminster Cathedral piazza.
For 75 years, he said, the CTS bookshop had offered information and advice to people inquiring into the Catholic faith. The Faith of the Catholic Church continued that tradition.
"In publishing this little book, it's no exaggeration to say we're participating in one of the timeless concerns of the Church, which is to explain the faith in an accessible way to the people of our time," he said.
"This book is a brilliant attempt to explain the faith of the Church in everyday language, but without any compromise."
He said there had already been a "staggering response" to the booklet, with 1,500 orders placed even before the official launch.
The Faith of the Catholic Church is available, priced £2.95 from CTS, 40-46 Harleyford Road, London, SE1 1 5AY. Tel 020 7640 0042; Fax 020 7640 0046.