Fideograph · Catholic Teaching

The Catechism Explained

What the Catholic Church teaches — in plain language, with sources, in depth.

16 doctrines covered 46 CCC references 4 parts
No account needed. All articles are freely accessible.
Part 1

The Creed

The Profession of Faith

What Catholics believe about God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The twelve articles of the Creed explained.

The Trinity Creed

The Holy Trinity

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct Persons sharing one divine nature -- one God, not three.

3 CCC refs 4 Scripture 2 objections 3 Fathers
Plain Theological Advanced
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The Resurrection Creed

The Resurrection

Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose bodily from the dead. The resurrection is a historical event with real witnesses, not a myth or a metaphor.

3 CCC refs 4 Scripture 2 objections 2 Fathers
Plain Theological Advanced
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Apostolic Succession Creed

Apostolic Succession

The bishops of the Catholic Church stand in an unbroken line of succession from the apostles, who received their authority directly from Christ.

3 CCC refs 3 Scripture 1 objections 2 Fathers
Plain Theological Advanced
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Petrine Ministry Creed

The Petrine Ministry

Christ gave Peter a unique authority among the apostles, and that authority has been transmitted to Peter's successors, the bishops of Rome.

3 CCC refs 4 Scripture 3 objections 3 Fathers
Plain Theological Advanced
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Eschatology Creed

Original Sin

Through Adam's sin, all human beings inherit a wounded nature deprived of original holiness and justice. This inherited condition is called original sin.

3 CCC refs 3 Scripture 1 objections 1 Fathers
Plain Theological Advanced
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Ecclesiology Creed

The Communion of Saints

The Church is a communion of all the faithful -- those on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven. Death does not sever the bonds of the Body of Christ.

3 CCC refs 3 Scripture 1 objections 1 Fathers
Plain Theological Advanced
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Mariology Creed

Mary -- Mother of God and Mother of the Church

Mary is the Mother of God (Theotokos) because she is the mother of Jesus, who is God incarnate. The Church also honors her as ever-virgin, immaculately conceived, and assumed into heaven.

3 CCC refs 4 Scripture 2 objections 3 Fathers
Plain Theological Advanced
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Purgatory Creed

Purgatory

Those who die in God's grace but are not yet fully purified undergo a process of purification after death before entering heaven.

3 CCC refs 4 Scripture 2 objections 3 Fathers
Plain Theological Advanced
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Part 2

The Sacraments

The Celebration of the Christian Mystery

The seven sacraments, the liturgy, and how the Church prays. What each sacrament does and why it matters.

Part 3

Life in Christ

The Christian Moral Life

The Ten Commandments, moral theology, natural law, and the virtue tradition. What Catholic ethics actually says.

Part 4

Prayer

Christian Prayer

What prayer is, the Lord's Prayer, the different kinds of prayer, and the contemplative tradition.

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Explore 71 verified claims across seven centuries of Church history.

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