Editing Roman Catechism (section)

{{Short description|Catechism published in 1566}}
{{Use American English|date = April 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = April 2019}}
[[File:Catechismus ex decreto sacrosancti Concilii Tridentini (Georgius Angelerius, 1592) - title page.jpg|thumb|Title page of a 1592 edition of the Roman Catechism]]

The '''Roman Catechism''' or '''Catechism of the Council of Trent''' is a compendium of [[Catholic Church|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.<ref name="catholic" />