What Does the Church Really Teach?

By Msgr. Robert Aucoin
HERALD Columnist
(From the issue of 6/27/02)

On many Catholic Web sites, there are generic statements about Church teaching. So, what does the Church really teach? Where can that teaching be found?

One sure answer is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Every Catholic should have a copy of this excellent volume right alongside the Holy Bible. If you do not have a copy, just go to one of the Internet search engines, type "Catechism of the Catholic Church," and you will find links to full online copies. You should still have your own copy. A weighty document like that is difficult to read and appreciate online, and it would be more costly to print it out than to buy a bound copy.

Church teaching extends beyond the Catechism, which is more of a compendium of Church teaching. The best source is to go to the official documents. Many of these are available online. A page of links to the most popular documents, including those of Vatican II, is at http://www.newadvent.org/docs/. The Latin titles may seem to be a drawback, but there is an English translation of each one. Using the search function of the browser, you should be able to find any desired document.

When some people think about Church teaching, their thoughts turn immediately to laws. Indeed, there is a law book in the Church entitled The Code of Canon Law. Actually, it is much smaller than some might imagine. The complete text can be found at http://www.intratext.com/X/ENG0017.HTM. Using a search engine, you should be able to find other copies on the internet, even in different languages.

Of course, all of our beliefs are rooted in the teaching found in sacred Scripture, the Holy Bible. The latest English translation is entitled the New American Bible and is at http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/index.htm. The Revised Standard Version is popular especially for serious Scripture studies. A searchable and browse-able version is posted at http://www.hti.umich.edu/r/rsv/.

For most of us, an encyclopedia is a very valuable first step in any kind of inquiry. The Catholic Encyclopedia at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/ is an excellent start for exploring details about the Faith. I found that an online encyclopedia is like a print version — I can spend lots of time just browsing and taking in all kinds of information never even thought of before.

Another helpful site takes various topics of Catholic interest and puts links to the papal documents relative to those issues: http://catholic.net/RCC/Indices/subs/by-subject.html. Again, here, I found myself randomly accessing documents and spending much more time than I had planned. Imagine what it would be like if I really had to extract information about a particular topic for a report or presentation! I would probably be cutting and pasting between the online documents and my word processor to organize the thoughts and provide appropriate documentation.

Many forget that the Church has some strong social teaching especially in the last century or so. These teachings are outlined at http://www.uscatholic.org/cstline/tline.html. In fact, in some respects the Church has been the most prominent voice speaking the concerns of the poor and oppressed throughout the world.

Having all of this information is fantastic. However, trying to understand, assimilate, digest, and appreciate these many teachings can be very frustrating. That is why there are adult religious education classes, theology courses and ministry formation programs. Alone it may be difficult to engage oneself in a serious study of Church teaching. With guidance and direction gained from one of these programs, the process can become very creative, engaging, mind-expanding and faith-enhancing. The Internet can provide some of the tools. We need each other and the teaching authority of the Church to delve more deeply into the depths of our beliefs.

Msgr. Aucoin is vicar for Catholic Education in the Diocese of Ogdensburg, N.Y.

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