Artwork in new catechism selected for one reason: to transmit faith

Published: 2005-07-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI believes classical works of Christian art can educate people in the faith and lead them to deeper prayer just as the images did hundreds of years ago. When he released the "Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church" at the Vatican June 28, he said the 14 works of art in the book were not meant to be decorative. "The choice was made to illustrate the doctrinal content of the compendium," said the pope, who was in charge of producing the book in his previous post as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. "Art always 'speaks,' at least implicitly, of the divine, of the infinite beauty of God, which is reflected in the icon par excellence: Christ the Lord, the image of the invisible God," the pope said.

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