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The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a complete, ordered presentation of what the Catholic Church believes, celebrates, lives and prays. Our online reader lets you explore it freely: no registration, no ads.

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All 2865 paragraphs · search · read aloud
♿ Accessible to blind, low-vision and dyslexic readers: read-aloud with voice choice, high contrast, larger text, wider spacing and the OpenDyslexic font.

What the Catechism is

Pope John Paul II promulgated the Catechism with the Apostolic Constitution Fidei depositum on 11 October 1992, the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. It was the fruit of collaboration among bishops from around the world, intended as a sure reference for local catechisms and as a book any believer can read with profit.

The text is divided into 2865 numbered paragraphs. That numbering is shared across editions in every language, so a paragraph can be cited as precisely as a chapter and verse of Scripture. This is why Church documents so often carry references such as “CCC 1213”.

The four parts

The structure follows the four pillars of Christian life: what we believe, what we celebrate, how we live and how we pray:

The Prologue: Before Part One stands the Prologue (nos. 1 to 25), which explains briefly why the Catechism exists, whom it addresses and how it should be read.

How the reader works

The reader is built so you can find your way through the Catechism quickly, without paging or hunting.

• Complete text. All 2865 paragraphs, each with its number clearly shown.
• Search. Type a word or phrase and get every paragraph containing it, with the term highlighted.
• Jump to a number. If you know the number, say 1213, type it and go straight there.
• Contents. Move through parts, chapters and articles, each showing its paragraph range.
• Bookmark. The reader remembers where you stopped so you can continue later.
• Works everywhere. Desktop, tablet and phone. On a phone it can be added to the home screen and then works offline.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register or pay?

No. The reader is entirely free, with no registration, no advertising and no tracking.

Does it work offline?

Yes. After the first visit the page is stored on your device. On a phone you can add it to the home screen and use it like an app.

Is the full text available in English?

Not yet. The publishing permission we hold covers the Croatian translation. In other languages the structure of the Catechism is available for browsing, and the text will follow once permission for that language is granted.

Is there a Windows program as well?

Yes. A Windows installer with the same text and the same read-aloud features is available.

Edition and rights

The edition published here is the second revised Croatian translation (2016), made from the Latin editio typica, Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae. © Libreria Editrice Vaticana. © Croatian translation: Croatian Bishops' Conference. Print publisher: Glas Koncila, Zagreb. Published here with the permission of the rights holders.

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