YouCat has been launched in time for World Youth Day - But the Italian version is lost in translation

Vatican Radio reported on Wednesday that YouCat, a catechism specially written for young people ("Youth Catechism"), had been officially launched at the Vatican. Originally written in German, with a preface by Pope Benedict XVI, the book has already been translated into six languages. But, as the BBC reported yesterday, the Italian edition has been pulled as it seemed to suggest that the Church allows the use of contraception for married couples. One would have hoped that gaffes like this were a thing of the past, especially after the furore caused by the comments on condoms in the Pope's Light of the World.

It seems that the Italian edition of YouCat contained errors in answer to a question regarding family planning. The question asks: "may a Christian married couple regulate the number of children they have?" This, though, was mistranslated into Italian from the German original as: "may a Christian married couple use methods of birth control?" The answer, "Yes", seems to imply (for Italians) that "methods of birth control" are permissible for Catholics.

Of course, natural methods (such as chastity) are promoted by the Church, but many young people might think that "birth control" means contraceptives. Nick Squires at the Telegraph, though, reports that the Italian translation actually used the term "contraceptive methods", not "methods of birth control". Not having seen the Italian (now pulped) version, I have no idea of knowing which phrase was used. All I know is that this gaffe reflects badly on those responsible for publishing the book. Surely, an error like this should have been noticed before sending the text to the printers.

The BBC goes on to say that French editions of the book have been delayed, whilst errors regarding euthanasia have also been spotted in the Italian version. It ends its report with the words of Fr Federico Lombardi SJ, the Papal Press Officer, who said (with some humour, one assumes): "The German language is very difficult, as we have discovered on several occasions".

Vatican Radio also reports that Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, said that 700,000 copies have been distributed, adding that "[YouCat] is a gift from the Holy Father to the young participants in World Youth Day".

YouCat is a simple catechism, designed to appeal to young people. It is set forth in a question and answer format - a bit like the old Penny Catechism!

[Image: YouCat cover, as found on the New Yorker website]