Two Gifts of God to the Modern World:
Catechism of the Catholic Church and Splendor of Truth
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
By now so much has been written and spoken about the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, and Pope John Pauls encyclical Veritatis Splendor, you
may wonder if there is anything new to say.
Yes, there is. In my judgment this catechism and encyclical mark a turning
point in the history of the Catholic Church. What do I mean?
I mean that since the close of the II Vatican Council in 1965, there has been
an ocean of confusion among millions of Catholics about what they are to believe,
and how they are to live. This confusion has reached high circles in the Catholic
Church. It has penetrated a large segment of professional theologians and a
corresponding number of directors of religious education.
With the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Veritatis
Splendor, we now have the means to clear up the confusion enter the twenty-first
century with absolute certitude about what it means to be a Catholic.
No longer need we wonder whether something preached in a Sunday homily is doctrinally
orthodox; or whether certain forms of behavior are morally permissible.
We shall now be able to identify an authentic Catholic from a counterfeit.
Why? Because the doctrine of faith and morals in the Catechism of the Catholic
Church and the encyclical Veritatis Splendor, allow no ambiguity.
These documents provide the dividing line between true Catholic Christianity
and its spurious imitation.
Copyright © 1998 Inter Mirifica