New English catechism to go on sale in June> Dispute over gender-neutral terms delayed release

NEW YORK (AP) — The English version of the new Roman Catholic catechism, delayed more than a year in a dispute over gender-neutral language, will be available in June.

The English translation of the 750-page compendium of church teaching was approved by the Vatican recently, and will go on sale June 22, the U.S. Catholic Conference said recently.

First released in French in November 1992, the church’s first universal catechism since 1566 orginally was expected to be available in English last March.

But debates over gender-neutral language, for example using terms such as “people” and “humanity” for “man” in translating Scriptures and other writings, delayed the English translation. A revised version addressing Vatican concerns was sent back to Rome last March.

Monsignor Frank Maniscalco, spokesman for the U.S. Catholic Conference, said translators were concerned whether some instances of inclusive language may have had the effect of altering church doctrine.

“It’s not a question of pro- or anti-feminism. It’s a question of doctrinal statements, and how they are translated,” he said.

While it maintains traditional bans on divorce, abortion and women priests, the catechism also catalogs a list of more modern sins, such as tax fraud and low wages, and urges compassion for homosexuals.

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church” will cost $19.95 in paperback and $29.95 for the hardcover version.