Pope John Paul II on the Content and Method of Catechisms

Catechisms should contain "Revelation as transmitted by the universal Magisterium of the Church, in its solemn or ordinary form. This Revelation tells of a creating and redeeming God, whose Son has come among us in our flesh and enters not only into each individual's personal history but into human history itself, becoming its center."

"Accordingly, the Revelation tells of the radical change of man and the universe, of all that makes up the web of human life under the influence of the Good News of Jesus Christ..."

Catechisms should encourage "a judicious balance between reflection and spontaneity, between dialogue and silence, between written and memory work...

"A certain memorization of the words of Jesus, of important Bible passages, of the Ten Commandments, of the formulas of profession of the Faith, of the liturgical texts of the essential prayers, of key doctrinal ideas, etc., far from being opposed to the dignity of young Christians or constituting an obstacle to personal dialogue with the Lord, is a real need, as the Synod Fathers forcefully recalled."

- Apostolic Exhortation: On Catechesis in Our Time