The moral teaching of the Catholic Church in the dialog with the modern culture

Abstract

Any catechism’s goal is to present faith in clear and complete way, using language understandable for common people of given time and culture. It has to enter a kind of dialog with modern man and his culture, to serve effectively and bring fruits in faith and moral life. The same is true to the Catechism of Catholic Church, announced by John Paul II. It also has its cultural foundations. One can see them both in goals and means alike, as well as ways of presentation of the deposit of faith. The editors goal was to present the Magisterial teaching in the most clear way. The method is not to condemn errors of present time, together with controversies and apologetics, but to present the truths of the faith and moral issues in the most positive way, knowing the specifics of the recipient, influenced by various cultural currents and tendencies, which are not very friendly to the faith and life built on it. Obviously, the present situation has its impact on the way the problems are presented in the Catechism. The cultural foundations can be recognized, where anthropological progress, technical knowledge and social changes are taken into account, considered as challenges. One can see them where new issues are brought up, and where old ones are interpreted in a new way. The Catechism does not have any specific part focused on modern culture description, however it expresses its attitude toward present religions, sciences, philosophies or political systems describing both man’s relationship with God, as well as his life in human society. Looking from the perspective of twenty years since the Catechism was signed, it can be said, that it became in important element of cultural dialog of the Church. Due to the rapid changes in the culture, the significance of faithfulness to the spirit of the Catechism must be recognized, in the same time leading to on-going analyses and constant adaptation, not in contents, but in manner of presentation of the faith and moral issues.