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CONGREGATIO PRO CLERICS
DECREE
Prot. N. 20072838
His Eminence, John Cardinal Njue, President of the Kenya Episcopal Conference, in accord with the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution: Pastor bonus, number 94; Canon 775, §2, of the Code of the Canon Law, and number 285, of the General Directory for Catechesis, having obtained the previous assent of the Bishops of the said Conference of Bishops on the 26th April 2006, requested from the Holy See, the necessary “recognitio” for the catechism entitled A Catholic Catechism, developed by the same Episcopal Conference for the Catholics of their jurisdiction.
As required, the text was examined by both the Congregation for the Clergy and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, within the terms of reference of their particular competencies.
This being said, the Congregation for the Clergy, by this Decree, hereby grants the requested “recognitio” in accord with its above mentioned authority, to the text entitled A Catholic Catechism.
Any subsequent revisions will require that the necessary approvals be obtained, in accord with the law.
This decree is to be published in its entirety at the beginning of the text of the catechism A Catholic Catechism.
Given at the Seat of the Congregation for the Clergy, 22nd December 2007.
Claudio Cardinal Hummes
prefect
† Mauro Piacenza
Titular Archbishop of Vittoriana
Secretary
Pastoral Letter on “A Catholic Catechism”
By His Eminence John Cardinal Njue
To all the Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Religious Brothers and Sisters and All the People of God
A Catholic Catechism: Guarding the Deposit of Faith
Indeed, “guarding the deposit of faith is the mission which the Lord entrusted to his Church, and which she fulfils in every age.” More than fifteen years ago, Pope John Paul II promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We recognise that we have an important apostolic and pastoral mission to make the truth of the Gospel shine forth to lead all people to seek and receive Christ’s love which surpasses all knowledge. This is the spirit in which the Catechism of the Catholic Church was written; “to guard and present better the precious deposit of Christian doctrine in order to make it more accessible to the Christian faithful and to all people of good will.” This in fact was the principal task of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council as envisioned by Pope John XXIII at its convocation so that it might contribute to the work of renewing the whole life of the Church. When therefore in 1985 our late Holy Father Pope John Paul II convoked an extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the 20th anniversary of the close of the Council, the purpose was “to celebrate the graces and spiritual truths of Vatican II, to study its teaching in greater depth in order that all the Christian faithful might better adhere to it and promote knowledge and application of it.” The conclusion by this extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops was clear. They expressed the desire to have a catechism or compendium of all catholic doctrine regarding both faith and morals that might be, as it were, a point of reference for catechisms or compendiums that are prepared in various regions. Pope John Paul II desired that the Catechism of the Catholic Church would “encourage and assist in the writing of new local catechisms, which take into account various situations and cultures, while carefully preserving the unity of faith and fidelity to catholic doctrine.” To further bring this to fruition, one notes with particular interest the new approach of this important document. Without discarding the old traditional order, its presentation of Christian doctrine is biblical and liturgical in approach and is geared towards responding to questions of our age. We need to embrace tradition in a dynamic way, without changing the truth but acknowledging that the expression of the truth sometimes changes with time for the sake of the truth itself.
Today we are all witnesses to this historic moment in the history of evangelization in this country as we launch A Catholic Catechism for Kenya. This event is a fulfilment of that desire by Pope John Paul II that local catechisms would be written to take into account the various situations with the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the reference point. This is the light in which the development of A Catholic Catechism by the Kenyan Bishops should be read. It does not replace the Catechism of the Catholic Church but points back to it, as a river to its source, for it is its authentic point of reference. It has for long been the cherished desire of the Kenya Episcopal Conference to bring this precious gift home to our people that it may speak to their situations in life. On reading A Catholic Catechism one notes that apart from presenting faithfully the teaching of Sacred Scripture, the living Sacred Tradition and the authentic Magisterium, it also lays special emphasis on the African context in which the faith is lived. It acknowledges the need for our people to identify with the Christian faith despite their various cultural backgrounds. This also involves taking whatever is beautiful in our cultures and traditions so that it may be placed at the service of a deeper expression of the faith. Those African values which can be used to understand and live better our Christian faith need to be promoted; but those that run contrary to the faith should be abandoned. This catechism is the work of providence coming at a time when it is becoming ever more evident that we are in need of deeper evangelization and deeper catechesis to renew the apostolic and missionary zeal in us. We need to re-evaluate our faith. And this is a real challenge because many of our people are still so steeped in their traditional beliefs to the extent of obstructing a solid foundation of Christianity. Very often Christian faith is professed out of convenience when it serves us most. But it is quickly thrown out of the window as soon as it unsettles our cultural complacency. Thus we waver between Christianity and our traditional beliefs that are incompatible with it. We need to be ready to sieve through our cultural and traditional beliefs to retain what is of value and discard whatever is base. This catechism is a call on us to make the positive and qualitative departure from the past, a past dominated by curses, magic, witchcraft, and negative ethnicity into the new life of grace for those who have accepted the dominion of Christ as the only Lord.
This work by the Kenya Episcopal Conference is among the first of its kind in the world and that should make us proud. Yet our pride should also serve as a challenge because it should be made manifest in our renewed effort of evangelisation, allowing us a better knowledge of the Christian mystery and enlivening our faith. It has been a long and tedious journey spanning several years, which shall no doubt be of immense value to pastors, catechists, other teachers of the faith and all Christians in general. This catechism will also be of great help in the formulation of programs in our catechetical schools and other related institutions. It is my hope that it will be translated in the local languages so that our people may draw fully from its fountain. That is why the launching of this catechism today is just the first in a series of other launches. From here the bishops will proceed to launch it in their respective dioceses and from there it is hoped that the same will happen at the parish and community levels. The deposit of faith needs to be placed more and more in the hands of all our people so that they may come to treasure and nurture it.
We the Conference of Bishops entrust this catechism to the entire Church of Kenya and above all to every Kenyan Christian so that it may awaken in our society today a renewed love for the gospel message and greater zeal for the faith. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, that most faithful disciple of Jesus Christ our Lord, intercede for us to her Son that we may grow in the obedience of faith.
Given on 2nd April 2008
at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary on the
occasion of the launching of A Catholic Catechism.
His Eminence John Cardinal Njue
Archbishop of Nairobi
Chairman – Kenya Episcopal Conference
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