Church Teaching

Church documents relevant to the issues of the day.

Homosexuality:
CDF, 1986: On the Pastoral Care of the Homosexual Person

Civil Partnerships:
CDF, 1992: Some Considerations Concerning the Catholic Response to Legislative Proposals on the Non-Discrimination of Homosexual Persons.

Homosexuals in seminaries:
CDF, 2005: Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders

The Ordination of women:
Pope John-Paul II, 1994: Ordinatio Sacerdotalis
Joseph, Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the CDF. 1995: Response to a Dubium on Ordinatio Sacerdotalis

Sex Education:
CDF, 1995: The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality: Guidelines For Education Within The Family

Ecumenism:
CDF, 2000: Dominus Iesus

Contraception:
Pope Paul VI, 1968: Humanae Vitae

Abortion and Euthanasia:
Pope John-Paul II, 1995: Evangelium Vitae

Cloning, IVF and related issues:
CDF, 1987: Donum Vitae

Marriage and the Family:
-John-Paul II, 1981: Familiaris Consortio
-Pius XI, 1880: Casti Conubii

Liturgy
-Pope Benedict XVI (2007): Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum (pdf from Rorate Caeli) (on the use of the 1962 Missal)
-Congregation for Divine Worship (latest edition, 2002): General Instruction of the Roman Missal
-Congregation for Divine Worship (2004): Redemptoris Sacramentum (against liturgical abuses)
-Issued jointly by 8 Sacred Congregations (1997): On Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests (against liturgical abuses)

'Justice and Peace'

-Pope Leo XIII, 1891: Rerum Novarum

-Pope St Pius X, 1910: Notre Charge Apostolique (condemnation of Le Sillon, a French lay movement which adopted Socialist principles)

-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1984: Instruction on certain aspects of the theology of liberation (condemnation of 'Liberation Theology')

Catholic Action
-Pope St Pius X, 1905: Il Fermo Proposito (on Catholic action associations in Italy)

-Pope Pius XI, 1925: Quas Primas (on the social reign of Jesus Christ)
-CDF, 2002: The Participation of Catholics in Political Life


General:

Bible: Douai-Rheims; New Jerusalem Bible; Bible Gateway (50 versions available!)

Sources of Catholic Dogma, Denzinger (Church documents over the centuries)

Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992)

Roman Catechism (Catechism of the Council of Trent) (1566)

Code of Canon Law (1983)

Catholic Encyclopedia (1917)