Bishop Athanasius Schneider: We are all facing an evident crisis of faith within the life of the church. It is already so evident, especially the confusion on doctrine, morals, liturgy, and on…
Joe McClane: By the way, my name is Joe McClain. I host a radio program called A Catholic Take, where we look at the world through a Catholic lens. I’d love for you to hang out with us. If you like it, give it a thumbs up and let us know what you think in the comments below. A bishop, Athanasius Schneider, the auxiliary bishop in Kazakhstan, is joining us to talk about his brand-new book called Credo. I got my copy, and I’m checking it out. It’s an amazing work, and I’m very excited about it, specifically because I think it’s monumental. It’s the first time in over 50 years, as written in the introduction, that a Roman prelate has published a work of this nature. I find that incredibly fascinating. Bishop Schneider joins us. Good morning to you, Your Excellency.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Good morning.
Joe McClane: Why now? Why did you feel that this type of catechism needed to be published?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: We are all facing an evident crisis of faith within the life of the church. It is increasing every day, and it has lasted for decades, basically since the Second Vatican Council. It is helpful to address the questions of faith, morals, prayer, and liturgy to guide the faithful in this time of lack of orientation and clarity. This was my intention: to provide answers not by my own voice or intelligence, but by quoting mostly the Fathers of the Church, the Doctors of the Church, and the constant, unchanging Magisterium. This should restore the joy in our faith and give certainty in our beliefs.
Joe McClane: The Catechism of St. John Paul II, published in the 90s, I read that cover to cover. One thing I noticed is that it continually references mostly Vatican II documents, along with Sacred Scripture and other sources. You mentioned a moment ago that you wanted to quote the early Church Fathers and the timeless patrimony of Holy Mother Church. Did you feel a need to go deeper in that regard?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: The Catechism of the Catholic Church was published 30 years ago, and its form is not the traditional question-and-answer style with short answers, which I think is more convenient for people to read and learn the faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is written in a somewhat difficult style. It is like a manual of dogmatics. It is valuable, but for the average Catholic, it is, in my opinion, too difficult. Therefore, I chose a shorter method, using questions and answers, and also addressing some current topics not covered 30 years ago. For example, gender ideology, transsexuality, and the theme of Freemasonry, which I treated extensively, are lacking in other catechisms. Other questions include interreligious dialogue, relativism, and misunderstandings of ecumenism. We must face these questions honestly to avoid ambiguity and lack of clarity.
Joe McClane: Do you worry that there isn’t enough substance on some of these topics? Should people be encouraged to go deeper and find other resources? A paragraph is clear and concise, but maybe it doesn’t provide enough on certain subjects.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Of course, it’s not enough for deep study, but it is necessary and sufficient for people to know the basic elements of our faith. The simple faithful are not expected to be professors of theology or biblical scholars. They only need the basic answers. Those who want to go deeper can study further. There are plenty of good books to expand on these topics. In these short answers, you cannot fully explain every aspect, but I try to cover the essential and substantial points. I also provide footnotes with references so people can read further.
Joe McClane: I also like that you expanded the topics. The Catechism published by John Paul II didn’t include much about the traditional Latin Mass. Your catechism does. Can you explain why you felt the need to include it?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Of course. We know the famous axiom, Lex credendi, lex orandi. It means the law of faith is the law of prayer, so liturgy is inseparably connected. Therefore, a catechism must address tradition and liturgy. This is lacking in John Paul II’s catechism, particularly the traditional patrimony of the Holy Mass, or the traditional Latin Mass, which was restored by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 but unfortunately restricted again by Pope Francis two years ago. We must address this. I also discuss ambiguities and errors of our day, such as the admission of divorce and remarital communion, which Pope Francis publicly approved for the bishops of Argentina, declaring it as authentic Magisterium. I could not ignore this. It must be recognized, but it was not an infallible Magisterium and can be corrected in the future.
Another example is the erroneous idea that God likes the diversity of religions. This is ambiguous and false, but it is only a temporal error that will be corrected by future popes and councils. We must state that these events occurred, but respectfully, without polemic, clarifying that they do not correspond to the Church’s tradition and are not infallible teachings. My aim is to help confused Catholics by presenting these facts and reaffirming the Church’s constant teaching regarding the indissolubility of marriage, the holiness of Holy Communion, and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and the Catholic religion.
Joe McClane: Again, amen, well said. Bishop Athanasius Schneider is our guest. Thank you again for your time today. In your preface, you say, “I am compelled to respond to the requests of many sons and daughters of the Church who are perplexed by the widespread doctrinal confusion in the Church of our day. I offer this work, Credo, a compendium of the Catholic faith, to strengthen them in their faith and to serve as a guide to the changeless teaching of the Church.” I have to say, Your Excellency, many Catholics today believe that teaching can be changed. They believe we can change what we believe about homosexuality, divorce and remarriage, ordaining women, abortion, or many other teachings.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: No, absolutely not, because Christ is the truth. As Holy Scripture says, Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He is the truth. Therefore, God does not change. This truth is valid for all times. God wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger on the stone tablets and gave them to Moses, and the Lord spoke through the Holy Spirit to the apostles all divine truth, which was revealed and entrusted to them as the deposit of faith to carefully, vigilantly, and unchangingly keep, transmit, explain, and defend. No human authority can change this truth in the contrary, it will remain until Christ comes.
There have always been attempts during the past 2,000 years, since the apostles, to change the truth, to adapt it to the wishes of sinful people or the demands of the world. The apostles already expelled such people and declared them heretics. Paul, St. John the Apostle, and the Apostolic Fathers continuously acted to protect the flock from this poison. As our Lord said in the Gospel, “If your brother is sinning against the truth, admonish him. If he does not listen, take another witness. If he does not listen, tell it to the Church. If he does not listen to the Church, then treat him as a pagan.”
Our Lord was not only a merciful shepherd, as some depict Him today, but also very strict and uncompromising. He died for the truth, for telling the truth, and for professing the full divine truth. This remains the mission of the Church until the end of time. Every sincere Christian who wants to imitate Christ must follow Him. The pope must be the servant of the truth, to confirm the Church in faith, along with the bishops, priests, and every Christian, especially those confirmed, who have the task and mission to defend and profess the faith.
Joe McClane: Can you give us an idea of how many people you collaborated with on this project, theologians or others around the world?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, I consulted about seven theologians. I will not give their names publicly, as they may prefer discretion, but I consulted and sent the text for corrections, modifications, or suggestions to two professors from pontifical universities in Rome, two professors from the United States, one professor from the Philippines, two professors from Germany, one professor from the United Kingdom, and one from Spain. It was a good variety of qualified professors of theology from different countries, and they provided valuable remarks and suggestions. I am very grateful to them.
Joe McClane: You received your imprimatur from the bishop in New Hampshire in America, which is also wonderful. Praise be to God. How has the response been to your book so far?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Practically recently, the director of Sophia Institute Press told me that since September 21, 17,000 copies had already been sold. They are now doing a second print, and soon a third, thanks be to God. Translation into five languages has already begun. I have received many messages from people around the world thanking me for this compendium, which helps them understand the faith more deeply, defend it, and gain clarity on confusing issues. I hope it will help the faithful, priests, and seminarians because I tried to transmit not my own opinion but the constant tradition of the Church, the voices that have been consistent for 2,000 years.
Joe McClane: Amen. Amen. It looks like great work. Your Excellency, we are very grateful that you undertook this arduous effort to produce this book, and we are grateful to Sophia Institute Press for publishing it. It is called Credo: Compendium of the Catholic Faith by Bishop Athanasius Schneider. SophiaInstitute.com is their website, and we will put a link to it in the show notes. Your Excellency, would you give us your blessing?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, please. Amen. Jesus Christ.
Joe McClane: Amen. Pray now and forever. Did you like that video? It’s okay, you can admit it. Hey, we cover the big stories of our day, from inside the Church to outside the Church and all points in between, from a Catholic perspective. It’s called A Catholic Take, a radio program Monday through Friday. We live-stream it right here on this channel. Make sure to subscribe, like, and share. We would be very grateful. Don’t forget to watch this video right here, because you won’t want to miss anything.