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Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. (Romans 16:17-18 BSB)
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First published in 1992, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, was authored by a special commission of cardinals and bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II. This commission was chaired by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI). Translated into more than 50 languages the Catholic catechism is described as a "profound and prayerful summary of the Church's faith" that Pope John Paul II described as "a sure norm for teaching the faith". It...
"was to serve as a faithful and systematic presentation of the "the deposit of faith" handed down through Scripture and Tradition". [01]
Note: In Catholic theology The deposit of faith refers to the entire body of divine truth entrusted by Jesus Christ to the Church, consisting of both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
In the 1992 Apostolic Constitution that officially announced or made public the universal Catechism of the Catholic Church Pope John Paul II said (All Emphasis Added)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved 25 June last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Church's Magisterium. I declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion ....
Therefore, I ask all the Church's Pastors and the Christian faithful to receive this catechism in a spirit of communion and to use it assiduously in fulfilling their mission of proclaiming the faith and calling people to the Gospel life. This catechism is given to them that it may be a sure and authentic reference text for teaching catholic doctrine and particularly for preparing local catechisms...
At the conclusion of this document presenting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I beseech the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word and Mother of the Church, to support with her powerful intercession the catechetical work of the entire Church on every level, at this time when she is called to a new effort of evangelization. [02]
The problem is what the Pope called "a sure norm for teaching the faith" is poles apart from what the Scriptures teach. Here are some outstanding deviations. (All Emphasis has Been Added)
Salvation
The Sacraments - Necessary For Salvation?
1129 The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation. "Sacramental grace" is the grace of the Holy Spirit, given by Christ and proper to each sacrament. the Spirit heals and transforms those who receive him by conforming them to the Son of God. the fruit of the sacramental life is that the Spirit of adoption makes the faithful partakers in the divine nature by uniting them in a living union with the only Son, the Savior.
1131 The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. the visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions. [03]
See Catholicism's Salvation Requirements
"The Abundant Exchange of Good Things"
1474 The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with the help of God's grace is not alone. "The life of each of God's children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person."
1475 In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things." In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin. (Emphasis Added)
1477 "This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. [04]
See Purgatory and Indulgences
The next one takes the proverbial cake
 Salvation Includes The Muslims
841 The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day." [05]
The Church Has The Power to Forgive Sins
976 The Apostle's Creed associates faith in the forgiveness of sins not only with faith in the Holy Spirit, but also with faith in the Church and in the communion of saints. It was when he gave the Holy Spirit to his apostles that the risen Christ conferred on them his own divine power to forgive sins: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
982 There is no offense, however serious, that the Church cannot forgive. "There is no one, however wicked and guilty, who may not confidently hope for forgiveness, provided his repentance is honest. Christ who died for all men desires that in his Church the gates of forgiveness should always be open to anyone who turns away from sin.
983 ...The Lord wills that his disciples possess a tremendous power: that his lowly servants accomplish in his name all that he did when he was on earth. Priests have received from God a power that he has given neither to angels nor to archangels .... God above confirms what priests do here below. Were there no forgiveness of sins in the Church, there would be no hope of life to come or eternal liberation. Let us thank God who has given his Church such a gift.
984 The Creed links "the forgiveness of sins" with its profession of faith in the Holy Spirit, for the risen Christ entrusted to the apostles the power to forgive sins when he gave them the Holy Spirit. [06]
See Confession
Apostolic Tradition
77 "In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority." Indeed, "the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time. [07]
See Apostolic Succession - Was Peter The First Pope?
Baptism Cleanses Us
977 Our Lord tied the forgiveness of sins to faith and Baptism: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved." Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that "we too might walk in newness of life."
978 "When we made our first profession of faith while receiving the holy Baptism that cleansed us, the forgiveness we received then was so full and complete that there remained in us absolutely nothing left to efface, neither original sin nor offenses committed by our own will, nor was there left any penalty to suffer in order to expiate them.... Yet the grace of Baptism delivers no one from all the weakness of nature. On the contrary, we must still combat the movements of concupiscence that never cease leading us into evil. [08]
Baptism is Necessary For Salvation
1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation...
1263 By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin. In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam's sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from God. [09]
See Is Baptism a Prerequisite Requirement For Salvation?
And Original Sin - Fact Or Fable?
We are expected to believe that God would orchestrate the greatest miscarriage of justice that this world has ever seen - that He is less fair than any honest judge in the judicial system - that His moral sense is inferior to ours.
The Baptism of Infants
1250 Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called. The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. the Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth. [10]
See Infant Baptism
The Relationship Between Tradition and Sacred Scripture
80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal." Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".
81 ..."and [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."
82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence." [11]
See Sola Scriptura
Only The Magisterium Can Interpret Scripture Authentically
85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ." This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome. See Apostolic Succession
95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."
100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him. [12]
See Sola Scriptura
Prayers For and By The Dead
956 The intercession of the saints. "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness.... They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus.... So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped."
958 Communion with the dead. "In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and 'because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins' she offers her suffrages for them." Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective. [13]
See Praying To Saints
Veneration Of Images and Relics
2129 The divine injunction included the prohibition of every representation of God by the hand of man. Deuteronomy explains: "Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure...." It is the absolutely transcendent God who revealed himself to Israel. "He is the all," but at the same time "he is greater than all his works." He is "the author of beauty."
2130 Nevertheless, already in the Old Testament, God ordained or permitted the making of images that pointed symbolically toward salvation by the incarnate Word: so it was with the bronze serpent, the ark of the covenant, and the cherubim.
2131 Basing itself on the mystery of the incarnate Word, the seventh ecumenical council at Nicaea (787) justified against the iconoclasts the veneration of icons - of Christ, but also of the Mother of God, the angels, and all the saints. By becoming incarnate, the Son of God introduced a new "economy" of images. [14]
See Images in Worship
Indulgences
Note: In Catholic theology, temporal punishment refers to the lingering consequences and spiritual disorder caused by sin. While the Sacrament of Confession removes the eternal guilt and eternal punishment (Hell), the natural damage and unhealthy attachments to sin remain, requiring purification either on Earth or in Purgatory
1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.
What is an indulgence?
"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints."
"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin." Indulgences may be applied to the living or the dead. [15]
See Purgatory And Indulgences
Mary
Free From Original Sin
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin. [16]
411 ... Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ's victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life. [17]
Original Sin... Fact or Fable
Many Christians today including most Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Catholics unblushingly subscribe to the view that the sin of Adam was transferred to all future generations tainting even the unborn. This makes me wonder how many of those that profess to believe in Original Sin have given any thought to the fact that sin is not a substance with physical properties that can be transmitted from person to person like a virus.
Much to the contrary, sin is a conscious, willful act performed by an individual (in thought, word or deed) that transgresses God's law. Think about it - sin can not even exist unless a sinner has an immoral, unrighteous thought then acts on it. Besides which, if sin can be inherited there is absolutely no reason why virtue, goodness, and righteousness cannot also be passed on.
Original Sin Or Epigenetics
There are innumerable passages of Scripture that clearly and unambiguously tell us that no person can bear the guilt of another, that everyone will answer for their own sins and misdeeds, and that our eternal destiny is determined by our conduct not inheritance. So how in the world can we believe that we are sinners because Adam sinned?
On the other hand, what we cannot ignore is that Paul made a direct connection between the sin of Adam and the fallen condition of the entire race. In Romans 5 he was pretty clear that something happened to all humanity because of Adam's sin. Which begs the question - what exactly was it that Adam passed down to his descendants?
The Immaculate Conception
490 To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary "was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role." The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as "full of grace". In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God's grace. [18]
See The Immaculate Conception
She Remained Sinless
493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God "the All-Holy" (Panagia), and celebrate her as "free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature". By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long. [19]
Note: Jesus is the only person referred to in Scripture as sinless.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15 BSB)
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 BSB)
In Luke 1 Mary’s words meant that she knew that she needed a Savior. Sinless people do not need a Savior.
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! (Luke 1:46-47 BSB)
In the Book of Revelation, the only person who was found to be worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, was Jesus.
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it. And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:2-5 BSB))
Nobody else in Heaven or on earth (including Mary) was worthy to open the scroll or even look inside it. (Revelation 5:1-5)
Devotion To The Blessed Virgin
971 "All generations will call me blessed": "The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship." The Church rightly honors "the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs.... This very special devotion ... differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration." The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an "epitome of the whole Gospel," express this devotion to the Virgin Mary. [20]
- Note: Derived from the Greek word leitourgia (meaning "the work of the people"), the term Liturgical refers to anything pertaining to a formal, public religious service or ritual. It most commonly describes structured Christian worship - such as the Catholic Mass, Eastern Orthodox services, or Anglican/Episcopalian rites - that follows a predetermined script, set of prayers, and community participation.
See Mary Worship
The Assumption
(The "Assumption" refers to the Catholic dogma that the Virgin Mary was taken body and soul into heavenly glory at the end of her earthly life).
966 "Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:
In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death. [21]
See The Assumption
Mary - "Ever-Virgin"
499 The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary's real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man. In fact, Christ's birth "did not diminish his mother's virginal integrity but sanctified it." and so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the "Ever-virgin".
500 Against this doctrine the objection is sometimes raised that the Bible mentions brothers and sisters of Jesus. The Church has always understood these passages as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary. In fact James and Joseph, "brothers of Jesus", are the sons of another Mary, a disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls "the other Mary". They are close relations of Jesus, according to an Old Testament expression. [22]
See Mary - A Perpetual Virgin?
Mediator
966 In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.
969 "This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation .... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix." [22]
975 "We believe that the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ" (Paul VI, CPG # 15). [23]
The Bible says “ For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
If Mary is a mediator, that makes two of them.
End Notes
[01] Michael William O.P. understanding the catechism of the catholic church. Classical Liberal Arts Academy, classicalliberalarts.com/blog/understanding-the-catechism-of-the-catholic-church/
[02] Catechism of the Catholic Church. https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/index.cfm?recnum=79
[03] The Paschal Mystery in the Age of the Church.
https://www.catechismonline.com/christian-ministry-1/2-the-paschal-mystery-in-the-churchs-sacraments
[04] Article 4 - Penance and Reconciliation.
https://www.catechismonline.com/christian-ministry-2/penance-and-reconciliation
[05] https://www.catechismonline.com/life-in-christ-2/first-commandment
[06] Chapter Three - I Believe in the Holy Spirit. Article Ten I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins The Power of the Keys. https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-2/art-10
[07] Chapter 2 - God Comes To Meet Man. Article 2 The Transmission of Divine Revelation
https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-1/god-comes-to-meet-man/2-the-transmission-of-divine-revelation
[08] Chapter Three - I Believe in the Holy Spirit. Article Ten - I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins.
https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-2/art-10
[09] Section Two - The Seven Sacraments of the Church. Chapter 1 The Sacraments of Christian Initiation. Article 1 - Baptism https://www.catechismonline.com/christian-ministry-2/baptism
[10] https://www.catechismonline.com/christian-ministry-2/baptism
[11] https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-1/god-comes-to-meet-man/2-the-transmission-of-divine-revelation
[12] Chapter 2 God Comes To Meet Man. Article 2 The Transmission of Divine Revelation.
https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-1/god-comes-to-meet-man/2-the-transmission-of-divine-revelation
[13] Paragraph 5. The Communion Of Saints. http://catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-2/9-para-5.
[14] https://www.catechismonline.com/life-in-christ-2/first-commandment
[15] https://www.catechismonline.com/christian-ministry-2/penance-and-reconciliation
[16] https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-2/art-3-para-2
[17] https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-2/para-7-the-fall
[18] https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-2/art-3-para-2
[19] ibid.
[20] https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-2/art-9-para-6
[21] ibid.
[22] https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-2/art-3-para-2
[23] https://www.catechismonline.com/profession-of-faith-2/art-9-para-6
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