INTRODUCTION

1. Catechesis is an essential part of the broader process of renewal that the Church is called to bring about in order to be faithful to the command of Jesus Christ to proclaim always and everywhere his Gospel (cf Matt 28:19). Catechesis participates according to its own nature in the effort of evangelisation, in order that the faith may be supported by an ongoing maturation and express itself in a way of life that must characterise the very being of the disciple of Christ. Because of this, catechesis is related to the liturgy and to charity in making evident the essential unity of the new life which springs forth from Baptism.

2. In considering this renewal, Pope Francis, in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, has pointed out some of the distinctive characteristics of catechesis that connect it more directly to the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world.

Kerygmatic catechesis 9 , which goes to the very heart of the faith and grasps the essence of the Christian message, is a catechesis which manifests the action of the Holy Spirit, who communicates God’s saving love in Jesus Christ and continues to give himself so that every human being may have the fulness of life. The different formulations of the kerygma, which necessarily open pathways of discovery, correspond to existential doorways into the mystery.

Catechesis as mystagogic initiation 10 introduces the believer into the living experience of the Christian community, the true setting of the life of faith. This formative experience is progressive and dynamic; rich in signs and expressions and beneficial for the integration of every dimension of the person. All this refers directly to an intuitive understanding, firmly rooted in catechetical reflection and ecclesial pastoral practice, which is becoming ever more urgent, that catechesis should be inspired by the catechumenal model.

9 Cf EG 164-165.

10 Cf EG 166.

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3. In the light of these features that characterise catechesis from the missionary perspective, the goal of the catechetical process is also reinterpreted. The present understanding of the formative dynamics of the person requires that intimate communion with Christ, already indicated in the existing Magisterium as the ultimate end of the catechetical initiative, should not only be identified as a goal but also brought about through a process of accompaniment 11 . In fact, the overall process of internalising the Gospel involves the whole person in his unique experience of life. Only a catechesis that strives to help each individual to develop his own unique response of faith can reach the specified goal. This is the reason why the present Directory reiterates the importance of having catechesis accompany the development of a mentality of faith in a dynamic of transformation, which is ultimately an action of the spirit. This is an original and necessary form of inculturation of the faith.

4. As a result, in reinterpreting the nature and goal of catechesis the Directory offers several perspectives that are the fruit of discernment carried out in the ecclesial context of recent decades and are indirectly present throughout the document, almost so as to constitute its narrative thread.

It reiterates firm trust in the Holy Spirit, who is present and acting in the Church, in the world and in the human heart. This brings to the catechetical effort a note of joy, serenity and responsibility.

The act of faith is born from the love that desires an ever-increasing knowledge of the Lord Jesus, living in the Church, and for this reason initiating believers into the Christian life means introducing them to the living encounter with him.

The Church, mystery of communion, is enlivened by the Spirit and made fruitful in bringing forth new life. This outlook of faith reaffirms the role of the Christian community as the natural setting for the generation and maturation of Christian life.

The process of evangelisation, and of catechesis as part of it, is above all a spiritual action. This demands that catechists be true

“evangelisers with the Spirit” 12 and the pastors’ faithful co-workers.

11 Cf EG 169-173. 12 Cf EG 259-283.

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- The fundamental role of the baptised is recognised. In their dignity as children of God, all believers are active participants in the catechetical initiative, not passive consumers or recipients of a service, and because of this are called to become authentic missionary disciples. - Living the mystery of faith in terms of relationship with the Lord has implications for the proclamation of the Gospel. It requires, in fact, overcoming any opposition between content and method, between faith and life.

5. The criterion that guided the composition of this Directory for Catechesis is found in the desire to explore the role of catechesis in the dynamic of evangelisation. The theological renewal during the first half of the past century had brought out the need for a missionary understanding of catechesis. The Second Vatican Council and the subsequent Magisterium took up and reconceived the essential link between evangelisation and catechesis, adapting it each time to the prevailing historical conditions. The Church, which is “missionary by her very nature” (AG 2), thus keeps herself open to carry out with confidence this new stage of evangelisation to which the Holy Spirit calls her. This requires the commitment and the responsibility to identify new languages with which to communicate the faith. Since there have been changes in the forms of transmission of the faith, the Church is committed to deciphering some of the signs of the times through which the Lord shows her the path to take. Among these multiple signs can be recognised: the centrality of the believer and of his life experience; the considerable role of relationships and the affections; interest in that which offers true meaning; the rediscovery of that which is beautiful and lifts up the spirit. In these and other movements of contemporary culture the Church grasps the possibilities for encounter and for proclamation of the newness of the faith. This is the linchpin of her missionary transformation, which drives pastoral conversion.

6. Just as the General Directory for Catechesis (1997) situated itself in continuity with the General Catechetical Directory (1971), so also the present Directory for Catechesis places itself in the same dynamic of continuity and development with the documents that preceded it. It cannot be forgotten that over the past two decades the Church has experienced 25

several important events that, albeit with different accents, have become significant moments for the ecclesial journey, for a deeper understanding of the mysteries of faith and of evangelisation.

It is worth remembering, first of all, the fruitful pontificate of St John Paul II, who with his apostolic exhortation Catechesi Tradendae (1979) gave a real thrust of innovation to catechesis. Benedict XVI reiterated a number of times the importance of catechesis in the process of the new evangelisation, and with the apostolic letter Fides per doctrinam (2013) gave concrete implementation to this commitment. Pope Francis, finally, with his apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium (2013) wanted to reiterate the inseparable connection between evangelisation and catechesis in the light of the culture of encounter.

Other great events have marked the renewal of catechesis. Not to be forgotten among these are the Great Jubilee of the year 2000, the Year of Faith (2012-2013), the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2015-2016) and the recent synods of bishops on several important matters for the life of the Church. Particularly memorable are those on The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church (2008); on The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith (2012); on The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and in the Contemporary World (2015); and on Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment (2018). It is fitting to mention, lastly, the publication of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2005), a simple and immediate tool for knowledge of the faith.

7. The Directory for Catechesis arranges its contents in a new and systematic structure. The organisation of the topics has sought to consider different and legitimate ecclesial sensibilities. Part One (Catechesis in the Church’s mission of evangelisation) presents the foundations of the entire itinerary. The Revelation of God and its transmission in the Church opens the reflection on the dynamic of evangelisation in the contemporary world, accepting the challenge of missionary conversion which influences catechesis (Chapter I). It is delineated by tracing its nature, goal, tasks and sources (Chapter II). The catechist - whose identity (Chapter III) and formation (Chapter IV) are presented - makes visible and enacts the ecclesial ministry of catechesis. In this first part, in addition to the

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updating of the basic questions already emphasised, it is worth pointing out the chapter on formation, which incorporates important perspectives with regard to the renewal of catechesis.

8. Part Two (The process of catechesis) deals with the catechetical dynamic. It presents, firstly, the paradigm of God’s pedagogy in salvation history, which inspires the pedagogy of the Church and catechesis as an educational act (Chapter V). In the light of this paradigm the theological criteria for the proclamation of the Gospel message are reorganised and made more adequate for the demands of contemporary culture. Moreover, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is presented in its theologicalcatechetical significance (Chapter VI). Chapter VII presents several questions on method in catechesis with reference to, among other things, the theme of language. The second part closes with the presentation of catechesis with the different groups of participants (Chapter VIII). In spite of the awareness that cultural conditions in the world are very different and that research at the local level is therefore necessary, the intention is nonetheless to offer an analysis of the general characteristics of this extensive subject, following up on the attention paid to the synods on the family and on young people. The Directory, finally, invites the particular Churches to give consideration to catechesis with persons with disabilities, with migrants and emigrants and with prisoners.

9. Part Three (Catechesis in the particular Churches) shows how the ministry of the word of God takes shape in the concreteness of ecclesial life. The particular Churches, in all their expressions, carry out the task of proclaiming the Gospel in the different contexts in which they are rooted (Chapter IX). This part recognises the uniqueness of the Eastern Churches, which have a catechetical tradition of their own. Every Christian community is invited to engage with the complexity of the contemporary world, in which very different elements are blended together (Chapter X). Different geographical contexts, settings of a religious nature, cultural tendencies - although they do not directly concern ecclesial catechesis - shape the inner physiognomy of our contemporaries, at whose service the Church places herself, and so they cannot help but be an object of discernment in view of the catechetical initiative. It is worth noting the reflection on digital culture and on several questions of bioethics, which

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