Over a century ago, Pope St. Pius X observed that “there are large numbers of Christians in our own time who are entirely ignorant of the truths necessary for salvation.”[1]
The same grave assessment was made in 2003 by the man who would be his successor: “It is evident that today religious ignorance is enormous; suffice it to speak with the new generations.”[2] Such ignorance and error is now accelerating rapidly, as even the highest officeholders of Church and State periodically broadcast erroneous or ambiguous statements to billions, often in the form of unqualified soundbites.
What’s a good Catholic to do? To begin, we must know our Faith, and “be prepared to give an account” (1 Pt 3:15) of it according to our aptitude and state in life. For the average Joe Catholic (and Non-Catholic Nancy to boot), it would also be helpful to have a resource that could instantly verify what the Church has consistently taught on a given subject.
Put another way, a reliable “Catholic fact-checker” would be most welcome; a “Catholic Google” with search results safe above contemporary confusion; a tool generating authentically Catholic answers, dangled online at the end of a blockchain, just one keystroke away from discovery and discussion.
Catechisms were invented for such a purpose. Why not reference an entire stack of them at once?
Continue reading at One Peter Five