The Catechism of the Council of Trent

The Council of Trent [1545-1563] was a response to the Protestant Reformation. During the sessions of this council, the council fathers clarified and developed key statements and expounded Catholic doctrine, teachings, and practices. By order of the council, then issued and approved by Pope St Pius V, there resulted in the 1566 publication of the Catechism of the Council of Trent (also called the Roman Catechism) in Latin. This catechism became the official manual of popular instruction originally intended for priests. The use of this catechism has been encouraged and urged ever since by various popes, bishops and synods. The catechism gives a fixed and stable plan of instruction to the faithful and follows the Council’s dogmatic definitions in 4 parts: The Apostle’s Creed, The Sacraments, The Ten Commandments, The Lord’s Prayer. Because of the importance of this catechism, PCP, Inc. decided to reprint the Fathers Callan & McHugh’s 1923 translation of this work so as to disseminate its teachings to a wide audience of people seeking to know what the official position of the Church is on dogmatic and moral questions.