Vatican: Youcat, Catechism for the Young, Raises Some Debates

Nearly 20 years after the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Holy See publishes Youcat, a catechism for young people.  The goal of Youcat (a contraction of Youth Catholicism, litteraly “catechism of the youth”) is to expose the whole faith in a language adapted to the youth.  This 300-page book, whose preface is written by Benedict XVI, is presented under a question-answer format, the answers being followed by references to articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and by an explanatory commentary.

Written in German, Youcat has been translated into 15 languages: many errors have slipped into several versions, causing numerous debates.  In the French version, for example, one may read that “to recognize religious liberty means to recognize that all religions are equal”.  As for the Italian translation, it confused the regulation of births and contraception.  In the German version, it is written that a “passive euthanasia obeys the commandment of love”.  For this reason a little work group has been formed at the Vatican to find these errors and make the necessary rectifications. (Sources: apic/cathnews – DICI#235 May 28, 2011)