For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of the Congregation . . .

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.

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.

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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 B...

For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of...

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For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of...

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.

Verbum 10 facilita su estudio católico al conectar toda su biblioteca de libros a un sólido conjunto de herramientas digitales. Y Verbum 10 Diamante Bilingüe ofrece una completa biblioteca de estudios católicos con más de 2300 recursos. Platino Bilingüe no solo incluye todas las herramientas de estudio que hemos creado en inglés y español, sino que también viene con cientos de comentarios. Tendrá todos los recursos que necesita para un estudio serio de las Escrituras junto con obras teológicas como The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century (44 vols.), Thomistic Ressourcement Series (18 vols) y otros recursos ideales para la preparación de homilías o estudios más avanzados de las Escrituras. Verbum 10 makes your Catholic study easier by connecting your entire library of books to a robust set of digital tools. And Verbum 10 Platino Bilingüe provides a comprehensive Catholic study library with over 2300 resources. Not only does Platino Bilingüe include every...

For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of...

For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of...

For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of...

For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of...

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.

For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of...

For nearly 500 years, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has defended the Catholic Church from internal heresy—whether by false teaching or malpractice of faith. It is the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations, and is made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, lay theologians, and canon lawyers. According to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Motu Proprio Integrae Servandae, “All questions which regard the doctrine on faith and morals or which touch upon the faith are within the competence of...

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 ou...

Verbum 10 facilita su estudio católico al conectar toda su biblioteca de libros a un sólido conjunto de herramientas digitales. Y Verbum 10 Platino Bilingüe ofrece una completa biblioteca de estudios católicos con más de 1400 recursos. Oro Bilingüe no solo incluye todas las herramientas de estudio que hemos creado en inglés y español, sino que también viene con cientos de comentarios. Tendrá todos los recursos que necesita para un estudio serio de las Escrituras junto con obras teológicas como Sacra Doctrina Collection (7 vols.), The Bible in Medieval Tradition Series Collection | BMT (5 vols.) y otros recursos ideales para la preparación de homilías o estudios más avanzados de las Escrituras. Verbum 10 makes your Catholic study easier by connecting your entire library of books to a robust set of digital tools. And Verbum 10 Platino Bilingüe provides a comprehensive Catholic study library with over 1400 resources...