For this reason Bishops, personally or through delegates, should see to the promotion of sacred art, old and new, in all its forms and, with the same religious care, remove from the liturgy and from places of worship everything which is not in conformity with the truth of Faith and the authentic beauty of sacred art. 297

"One is constituted a member of the episcopal body in Virtue of the Sacramental consecration and by the hierarchical Communion with the Head and members of the college." 39 The character and collegial nature of the episcopal order are evidenced among other ways by the Church's ancient practice which calls for several Bishops to participate in the consecration of a new Bishop. 40 In our day, the lawful ordination of a bishop requires a special intervention of the Bishop of Rome, because he is the supreme Visible bond of the communion of the particular Churches in the one Church and the guarantor of their freedom.

"Episcopal consecration confers, together with the Office of sanctifying, also the offices of teaching and ruling.... In fact ... by the imposition of hands and through the words of the consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given, and a sacred character is impressed in such wise that Bishops, in an eminent and Visible manner, take the place of Christ himself, teacher, shepherd, and priest, and act as his representative (in Eius persona agant)." 37 "By Virtue, therefore, of the Holy Spirit who has been given to them, Bishops have been constituted true and authentic teachers of the Faith and have been made pontiffs and pastors." 38

"The divinely instituted ecclesiastical Ministry is Exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called Bishops, Priests, and deacons." 32 Catholic doctrine, expressed in the liturgy, the Magisterium, and the constant practice of the Church, recognizes that there are two degrees of ministerial participation in the Priesthood of Christ: the episcopacy and the presbyterate . the diaconate is intended to help and serve them. For this reason the term sacerdos in current usage denotes Bishops and priests but not deacons. Yet Catholic doctrine teaches that the degrees of priestly participation (episcopate and presbyterate) and the degree of service (diaconate) are all three conferred by a Sacramental act called "ordination," that is, by the sacrament of Holy Orders:

Through the ordained Ministry, especially that of Bishops and Priests, the presence of Christ as Head of the Church is made Visible in the midst of the community of believers. 26 In the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the Bishop is typos tou Patros: he is like the living image of God the Father. 27

The ministerial or hierarchical Priesthood of Bishops and Priests, and the common priesthood of all the Faithful participate, "each in its own proper way, in the one priesthood of Christ." While being "ordered one to another," they differ essentially. 22 In what sense? While the common priesthood of the Faithful is Exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace - a life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit - ,the ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood. It is directed at the unfolding of the baptismal grace of all Christians. the ministerial priesthood is a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads his Church. For this reason it is transmitted by its own Sacrament, the sacrament of Holy Orders.

The liturgy of the Church, however, sees in the Priesthood of Aaron and the service of the Levites, as in the institution of the seventy elders, 11 a prefiguring of the ordained Ministry of the New Covenant. Thus in the Latin Rite the Church prays in the consecratory preface of the ordination of Bishops:

Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a Sacrament. Today the word "ordination" is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of Bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the Exercise of a "sacred power" (sacra potestas) 5 which can come only from Christ himself through his Church. Ordination is also called consecratio, for it is a setting apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church. the laying on of hands by the Bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the Visible sign of this ordination.

Only Priests (Bishops and presbyters) are ministers of the Anointing of the Sick. 130 It is the duty of pastors to instruct the Faithful on the benefits of this Sacrament. the Faithful should encourage the sick to call for a priest to receive this sacrament. the sick should prepare themselves to receive it with good dispositions, assisted by their pastor and the whole ecclesial community, which is invited to surround the sick in a special way through their prayers and fraternal attention.

Since Christ Entrusted to his Apostles the Ministry of reconciliation, 65 Bishops who are their successors, and Priests, the Bishops' collaborators, continue to Exercise this ministry. Indeed bishops and priests, by Virtue of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, have the power to forgive all sins "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

In the anamnesis that follows, the Church calls to mind the Passion, resurrection, and glorious return of Christ Jesus; she presents to the Father the offering of his Son which reconciles us with him. In the intercessions, the Church indicates that the Eucharist is celebrated in Communion with the whole Church in heaven and on earth, the living and the dead, and in communion with the pastors of the Church, the Pope, the diocesan Bishop, his presbyterium and his deacons, and all the Bishops of the whole world together with their Churches.

In the Latin Rite, the ordinary minister of Confirmation is the Bishop. 130 Although the bishop may for grave reasons concede to Priests the faculty of administering Confirmation, 131 it is appropriate from the very meaning of the Sacrament that he should confer it himself, mindful that the celebration of Confirmation has been temporally separated from Baptism for this reason. Bishops are the successors of the Apostles. They have received the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. the administration of this sacrament by them demonstrates clearly that its effect is to unite those who receive it more closely to the Church, to her Apostolic origins, and to her mission of bearing witness to Christ.

For the purpose of assisting the work of the common Priesthood of the Faithful, other particular ministries also exist, not consecrated by the Sacrament of Holy Orders; their functions are determined by the Bishops, in accord with liturgical traditions and pastoral needs. "Servers, readers, commentators, and members of the choir also Exercise a genuine liturgical function." 14

As Christ's vicar, each Bishop has the pastoral care of the particular Church Entrusted to him, but at the same time he bears collegially with all his brothers in the episcopacy the solicitude for all the Churches: "Though each bishop is the lawful pastor only of the portion of the flock entrusted to his care, as a legitimate successor of the Apostles he is, by divine institution and precept, responsible with the other Bishops for the Apostolic mission of the Church." 41

"Christ, whom the Father hallowed and sent into the world, has, through his Apostles, made their successors, the Bishops namely, sharers in his consecration and mission; and these, in their turn, duly Entrusted in varying degrees various members of the Church with the Office of their Ministry." 43 "The function of the Bishops' ministry was handed over in a subordinate degree to Priests so that they might be appointed in the order of the Priesthood and be co-workers of the episcapal order for the proper fulfillment of the Apostolic mission that had been entrusted to it by Christ." 44

"Whilst not having the supreme degree of the pontifical Office, and notwithstanding the fact that they depend on the Bishops in the Exercise of their own proper power, the Priests are for all that associated with them by reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and in Virtue of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest, they are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the Faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament." 46

The Roman Pontiff and the Bishops are "authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the Authority of Christ, who preach the Faith to the people Entrusted to them, the faith to be believed and put into practice." 76 The ordinary and Universal Magisterium of the Pope and the Bishops in Communion with him teach the Faithful the truth to believe, the charity to practice, the beatitude to hope for.

Pastoral discernment is needed to sustain and support popular piety and, if necessary, to purify and correct the religious sense which underlies these devotions so that the Faithful may advance in knowledge of the mystery of Christ. 180 Their Exercise is subject to the care and judgment of the Bishops and to the general norms of the Church.

Sacramentals derive from the baptismal Priesthood: every baptized person is called to be a "blessing," and to bless. 172 Hence lay people may preside at certain blessings; the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained Ministry (Bishops, Priests, or deacons). 173

Sacramentals are instituted for the sanctification of certain ministries of the Church, certain states of life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian life, and the use of many things helpful to man. In accordance with Bishops' pastoral decisions, they can also respond to the needs, culture, and special history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism).

In the Eastern Churches a different discipline has been in force for many centuries: while Bishops are chosen solely from among celibates, married men can be ordained as deacons and Priests. This practice has long been considered legitimate; these priests Exercise a fruitful Ministry within their communities. 73 Moreover, priestly celibacy is held in great honor in the Eastern Churches and many priests have freely chosen it for the sake of the Kingdom of God. In the East as in the West a man who has already received the Sacrament of Holy Orders can no longer marry.

"Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination." 66 The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve Apostles, and the Apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their Ministry. 67 The college of Bishops, with whom the Priests are United in the Priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason, the ordination of women is not possible. 68

Since the Sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament of the Apostolic Ministry, it is for the Bishops as the successors of the Apostles to hand on the "gift of the Spirit," 63 The "apostolic line." 64 Validly ordained Bishops, i.e., those who are in the line of apostolic succession, validly confer the three degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders. 65

Christ himself chose the Apostles and gave them a share in his mission and Authority. Raised to the Father's right hand, he has not forsaken his flock but he keeps it under his constant protection through the Apostles, and guides it still through these same pastors who continue his work today. 61 Thus, it is Christ whose gift it is that some be apostles, others pastors. He continues to act through the Bishops. 62

It is the whole community, the Body of Christ United with its Head, that celebrates. "Liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations of the Church which is 'the Sacrament of unity,' namely, the holy people united and organized under the Authority of the Bishops. Therefore, liturgical services pertain to the whole Body of the Church. They manifest it, and have effects upon it. But they touch individual members of the Church in different ways, depending on their Orders, their role in the liturgical services, and their actual participation in them." 7 For this reason, "rites which are meant to be celebrated in common, with the Faithful present and actively participating, should as far as possible be celebrated in that way rather than by an individual and quasi-privately." 8

By Christ's will, the Church possesses the power to forgive the sins of the baptized and Exercises it through Bishops and Priests normally in the Sacrament of Penance.

"Just as the Office which the Lord confided to Peter alone, as first of the Apostles, destined to be transmitted to his successors, is a permanent one, so also endures the office, which the Apostles received, of shepherding the Church, a charge destined to be Exercised without interruption by the sacred order of Bishops." 375 Hence the Church teaches that "the Bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church, in such wise that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever despises them despises Christ and him who sent Christ." 376

The Church is Apostolic because she is founded on the Apostles, in three ways: - she was and remains built on "the foundation of the Apostles," 362 The witnesses chosen and sent on mission by Christ himself; 363 - with the help of the Spirit dwelling in her, the Church keeps and hands on the teaching, 364 The "good deposit," the salutary words she has heard from the apostles; 365 - she continues to be taught, sanctified, and guided by the apostles until Christ's return, through their successors in pastoral Office: the college of Bishops, "assisted by Priests, in union with the successor of Peter, the Church's supreme pastor": 366

"Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept all the means of salvation given to the Church together with her entire organization, and who - by the bonds constituted by the profession of Faith, the Sacraments, ecclesiastical government, and Communion - are joined in the Visible structure of the Church of Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the Bishops. Even though incorporated into the Church, one who does not however persevere in charity is not saved. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but 'in body' not 'in heart.'" 321

"The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his Resurrection, Entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the other Apostles to extend and rule it.... This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in (subsistit in) in) the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in Communion with him." 267

"I believe" (Apostles' Creed) is the Faith of the Church professed personally by each believer, principally during Baptism. "We believe" (Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed) is the faith of the Church confessed by the Bishops assembled in council or more generally by the liturgical assembly of believers. "I believe" is also the Church, our mother, responding to God by faith as she teaches us to say both "I believe" and "We believe".

"The whole body of the Faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of Faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the Bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a Universal consent in matters of faith and morals." 55

"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been Entrusted to the living teaching Office of the Church alone. Its Authority in this matter is Exercised in the name of Jesus Christ." 47 This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the Bishops in Communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

The Apostles Entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the Faith (the depositum fidei), 45 contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, United to its pastors, remains always Faithful to the teaching of the Apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practising and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the Bishops and the faithful." 46

"In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the Apostles left Bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching Authority." 35 Indeed, "the Apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time." 36

This work is intended primarily for those responsible for catechesis: first of all the Bishops, as teachers of the Faith and pastors of the Church. It is offered to them as an instrument in fulfilling their responsibility of teaching the People of God. Through the Bishops, it is addressed to redactors of catechisms, to Priests, and to catechists. It will also be useful reading for all other Christian Faithful.

It is therefore no surprise that catechesis in the Church has again attracted attention in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, which Pope Paul Vl considered the great catechism of modern times. the General Catechetical Directory (1971) the sessions of the Synod of Bishops devoted to evangelization (1974) and catechesis (1977), the Apostolic exhortations Evangelii nuntiandi (1975) and Catechesi tradendae (1979), attest to this. the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985 asked "that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both Faith and morals be composed" 13 The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, made the Synod's wish his own, acknowledging that "this desire wholly corresponds to a real need of the Universal Church and of the particular Churches." 14 He set in motion everything needed to carry out the Synod Fathers' wish.

"The Ministry of catechesis draws ever fresh energy from the councils. the Council of Trent is a noteworthy example of this. It gave catechesis priority in its constitutions and decrees. It lies at the origin of the Roman Catechism, which is also known by the name of that council and which is a work of the first rank as a summary of Christian teaching. . " 12 The Council of Trent initiated a remarkable organization of the Church's catechesis. Thanks to the work of holy Bishops and theologians such as St. Peter Canisius, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Turibius of Mongrovejo or St. Robert Bellarmine, it occasioned the publication of numerous catechisms.

When Christ instituted the Twelve, "he constituted [them] in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the Head of which he placed Peter, chosen from among them." 398 Just as "by the Lord's institution, St. Peter and the rest of the Apostles constitute a single Apostolic college, so in like fashion the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, and the Bishops, the successors of the Apostles, are related with and United to one another." 399

Bishops will always strive to discern new gifts of consecrated life granted to the Church by the Holy Spirit; the approval of new forms of consecrated life is reserved to the Apostolic See. 459

"The power which they Exercise personally in the name of Christ, is proper, ordinary, and immediate, although its exercise is ultimately controlled by the supreme Authority of the Church." 427 But the Bishops should not be thought of as vicars of the Pope. His ordinary and immediate authority over the whole Church does not annul, but on the contrary confirms and defends that of the Bishops. Their authority must be exercised in Communion with the whole Church under the guidance of the Pope.

"The Bishops, as vicars and legates of Christ, govern the particular Churches assigned to them by their counsels, exhortations, and example, but over and above that also by the Authority and sacred power" which indeed they ought to Exercise so as to edify, in the spirit of service which is that of their Master. 426

"The Roman Pontiff, Head of the college of Bishops, enjoys this infallibility in Virtue of his Office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the Faithful - who confirms his brethren in the Faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals.... the infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of Bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they Exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council. 418 When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed," 419 and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith." 420 This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself. 421

Bishops, with Priests as co-workers, have as their first task "to preach the Gospel of God to all men," in keeping with the Lord's command. 415 They are "heralds of Faith, who draw new disciples to Christ; they are authentic teachers" of the Apostolic faith "endowed with the Authority of Christ." 416

Neighboring particular Churches who share the same culture form ecclesiastical provinces or larger groupings called patriarchates or regions. 413 The Bishops of these groupings can meet in synods or provincial councils. "In a like fashion, the episcopal conferences at the present time are in a position to contribute in many and fruitful ways to the concrete realization of the collegiate spirit." 414

"The individual Bishops are the Visible source and foundation of unity in their own particular Churches." 408 As such, they "Exercise their pastoral Office over the portion of the People of God assigned to them," 409 assisted by Priests and deacons. But, as a member of the episcopal college, each Bishop shares in the concern for all the Churches. 410 The bishops exercise this care first "by ruling well their own Churches as portions of the Universal Church," and so contributing "to the welfare of the whole Mystical Body, which, from another point of view, is a corporate body of Churches." 411 They extend it especially to the poor, 412 to those persecuted for the Faith, as well as to missionaries who are working throughout the world.

"The college of Bishops Exercises power over the Universal Church in a solemn manner in an ecumenical council." 405 But "there never is an ecumenical council which is not confirmed or at least recognized as such by Peter's successor." 406

"The college or body of Bishops has no Authority unless United with the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, as its Head." As such, this college has "supreme and full authority over the Universal Church; but this power cannot be Exercised without the agreement of the Roman Pontiff." 404

The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and Visible source and foundation of the unity both of the Bishops and of the whole company of the Faithful." 402 "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his Office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and Universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always Exercise unhindered." 403

The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the "rock" of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock. 400 "The Office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of Apostles United to its Head." 401 This pastoral office of Peter and the other Apostles belongs to the Church's very foundation and is continued by the Bishops under the primacy of the Pope.

Periods of renewal in the Church are also intense moments of catechesis. In the great era of the Fathers of the Church, saintly Bishops devoted an important part of their Ministry to catechesis. St. Cyril of Jerusalem and St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, and many other Fathers wrote catechetical works that remain models for us. 11