The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Collection II (14 vols.)

by Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Publisher:

Libreria Editrice Vaticana

, 1972–2016

Overview

Though it has gone by different names over the centuries, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has long been one of the most influential and important offices within the Vatican. Entrusted with explaining and defending Catholic teaching, the CDF regularly releases documents that authoritatively and clearly explain Catholic teaching in light of various questions, objections, or false theology. Joseph Ratzinger served as the head of the CDF for more than 20 years before he was named Pope Benedict XVI.

This collection gathers together many of the most recent texts of the CDF. Always with the aim of speaking the truth in charity, the CDF lucidly presents the Catholic position on a number of today’s most pressing issues within the church—including pastoral care for homosexual persons, Communion for the divorced and remarried, and many other moral, theological, sacramental, and pastoral issues.

Key Features

• Includes many of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s most recent writings
• Provides authoritative explanations of contested questions in Catholic theology
• Offers pastoral guidance alongside historical and theological treatises

Product Details

• Title: The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Collection II
• Author: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Volumes: 14
• Pages: 121
• Christian Group: Catholic
• Resource Type: Church Documents

Instruction Ad Resurgendum cum Christo regarding the Burial of the Deceased and the Conservation of the Ashes in the Case of Cremation

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 5

Since the first days of the church, burying the dead has been a work of mercy and an act of reverence for the dignity of the human person. Though the previous prohibition on cremation has been loosened in recent years, the CDF outlines in this text the manner in which cremated remains can be properly laid to rest.

Letter “Iuvenescit Ecclesia” to the Bishops of the Catholic Church regarding the Relationship Between Hierarchical and Charismatic Gifts in the Life and the Mission of the Church

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 25

Pope John Paul II often called for a “new springtime of evangelization.” Part of the answer to this call has been a number of ecclesial movements that have arisen in the Catholic Church over the past several decades. Many of these movements deliberately and heavily rely on the charisms of the Holy Spirit. In this text, the CDF seeks to synthesize the “hierarchical” and “charismatic” gifts in the life of the church in order that both may flourish and that all the faithful may more readily live out their call to evangelize.

Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 14

Pope Paul VI famously said, “The church exists in order to evangelize.” Not needing to rehash the profound words on evangelization from Paul VI and John Paul II, the CDF takes the opportunity in this document to clarify certain questions regarding evangelization, particularly related to modern objections that spreading the gospel is an effort to limit the freedom of those who might be converted.

Responses to Some Questions regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 6

With the focus on ecumenism in the years following Vatican II, many questions have arisen with regards to Catholic doctrine on the nature of the church. The CDF responds to five of the most pressing questions in Catholic ecclesiology that have arisen from recent theological reflection.

Note on the Minister of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 4

The longstanding tradition of the Catholic Church has always been that only priests and bishops may administer the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. In this note from the CDF, the tradition is affirmed and explained in light of recent questions on the subject.

The Question of the Validity of Baptism Conferred in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 5

As Catholics view Baptism as efficacious and non-repeatable, the church takes seriously the obligation to assess various forms of Baptism conducted by other groups. As the Mormon teaching on the Trinity conflicts substantially with the traditional Christian understanding, the Catholic Church does not recognize Mormon baptisms as valid, even though the ceremony looks outwardly very similar. In this document, the CDF outlines the reason for this decision based on the theological understanding of Baptism and the Trinity.

Response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about the Validity of Baptism Conferred in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 7

Released in conjunction with the CDF document The Question of the Validity of Baptism Conferred in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this Response seeks to address the practical and juridical concerns regarding the Catholic position that Mormon baptisms are not considered valid.

Note on the Expression "Sister Churches"

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 6

In the ecumenical dialogue that has taken place in recent decades, it has become common to use the phrase “sister churches” in reference to the relationship between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. In this document, the CDF looks to clarify the proper meaning of the term in order to correct some erroneous uses that have crept into some writings on ecumenism.

The Primacy of the Successor of Peter in the Mystery of the Church

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 9

Nothing else so clearly distinguishes the Catholic Church from all other Christians than the primacy Catholics give to the pope as the successor of Peter. In this text, the CDF seeks to clarify certain misconceptions about where papal primacy came from, what it means, and what purpose it serves in the life of the church.

Concerning Some Objections to the Church's Teaching on the Reception of Holy Communion by Divorced and Remarried Members of the Faithful

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 1994
• Pages: 7

The “lively response” to the CDF’s 1994 Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the Reception of Holy Communion by the Divorced and Remarried Members of the Faithful provided several persistent objections to the premise that the divorced and remarried should not be admitted to Communion. Here the CDF returns to the subject in order to address the most significant of these objections.

Some Considerations concerning the Response to Legislative Proposals on the Non-Discrimination of Homosexual Persons

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 1992
• Pages: 4

The rights and dignity of homosexual persons must be respected, but what does this look like in practice? Following the previous Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, the CDF seeks to summarize the key points of that letter and provide concrete proposals for application.

Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 1989
• Pages: 15

In recent times, there has been an increase of interest among some Christians regarding methods of meditation that are borrowed from eastern religions. Is this allowed? How much can be borrowed before losing the core of what Christian prayer is? The CDF responds to these questions and more with a look at what it means to pray and meditate as a Christian.

Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 1986
• Pages: 8

One of today’s most pressing pastoral questions is that of the place of homosexual persons within the church. While Catholic teaching remains clear that homosexual acts are immoral, the church has always sought to reach out to homosexual persons with love and respect. This letter targeted at bishops offers a succinct reminder of the Catholic teaching on homosexuality rooted in Scripture and calls upon bishops to enact pastoral care that is consistent with this perennial teaching.

Declaration for Safegaurding the Belief in the Mysteries of the Incarnation and of the Most Holy Trinity against Some Recent Errors

• Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
• Publication Date: 1972
• Pages: 6

The doctrine of the Trinity and the Incarnation are central to our understanding of who God is. As such, it is of utmost importance that these teachings are understood correctly in light of Scripture and Tradition. In this document, the CDF responds to some of the recent theologies that—deliberately or not—undermine the traditional understanding of these central mysteries of the Christian faith.

About the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Founded in 1542 by Pope Paul III, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations. Its mandate has been to investigate and address emergent doctrines, to determine measures to be taken against doctrinal error or malpractice of the Sacraments, and to safeguard the faith and morality of the people of the Catholic Church. It has four unique offices: the doctrinal office, the disciplinary office, the matrimonial office, and the office for the priesthood. Its advisory board consists of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers.

Since 1968, the CDF has been headed by prefects. The Congregation is now headed by Gerhard Ludwig Müller. From 2005 to 2012 it was led by William Levada, and prior to that it was headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger from 1981 to 2005. Prior to 1968, the prefect position of the CDF was symbolically held by the pope.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith oversees the Vatican Secret Archives and has been responsible for releasing content from that massive library, which has taken form in the shape in the publications of the Catholic Church and Modern Science series and the History of the Popes from the Close of the Middle Ages.