Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., discusses YOUCAT...

... on "The Good Catholic Life" show, on 1060AM in Boston; you can listen to the interview online or download as an mp3 file :



Speaking of the Youth Catechism, the May 2011 issue of Catholic World Report had a feature piece, "A Gateway to the Faith", by Michael J. Miller:

The 300-page Youth Catechism, designed to fit in a backpack, is a scale model of the CCC, replicating its traditional four-part structure and proportions. Part Three on the Commandments (33 percent of the text) has been expanded slightly at the expense of the first two parts on the Creed (35 percent) and the sacraments (21 percent). Part Four on Prayer clocks in, as with the CCC, at 11 percent of the overall work. Like its prototype, the Youth Catechism is thoroughly cross-referenced and cites Scripture, the prayers of the liturgy, the Church Fathers, and the saints extensively.  It

includes two dozen references to four of the Vatican II documents. In a novel feature that makes this forum more like the Areopagus in Acts 17, YOUCAT also cites secular writers from many centuries, such as Pascal, Kierkegaard and C.S. Lewis. 

Generally speaking, catechesis in recent decades has neglected the doctrine of creation, perhaps out of a reluctance to confront scientific theories. The CCC begins its discussion of the Creed with a clear teaching of the metaphysics of creation; YOUCAT affirms the same truths in less technical terms.  

Church teaching on abortion, contraception, and euthanasia is stated briefly and clearly in YOUCAT. The presentation of the "peace and justice" themes in Catholic social doctrine is less focused and a tad trendy, with two Q&As and four sidebars on globalization but only one each on subsidiarity. The overall perspective is cosmopolitan in its sensitivity to Protestant Christianity and other world religions, especially Judaism and Islam. 

The formulations of doctrine in YOUCAT are meant to be easily understood, not definitive. Despite the somewhat anemic treatment of the priesthood and hierarchy, there are repeated references to the "Holy Sacrifice of the Mass." The more tendentious statements in the original German-language draft and a few flashes of sophisticated Viennese wit did not survive the vetting process. 

Like the CCC, YOUCAT attempts to identify and clarify the important elements of the faith and to present them as part of an integral whole. YOUCAT was not intended as a reference work, however; no Editio Typica in Latin is planned. Rather, as its editor-in-chief remarked, "It will serve as a gateway to the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the youth." 

Read the entire piece. For more information about the Youth Catechism, visit the YOUCAT site.