Roman Catechism

The Roman Catechism or Catechism of the Council of Trent is a compendium of Catholic doctrine commissioned during the Counter-Reformation by the Council of Trent, to expound doctrine and to improve the theological understanding of the clergy. It was published in 1566.

It differs from other summaries of Christian doctrine for the instruction of the people in that it is primarily intended for priests having care of souls (ad parochos). The need of a popular authoritative manual arose from a lack of systematic knowledge among pre-Reformation clergy and the concomitant neglect of religious instruction among the Catholic laity.^[1]