It Was All Adam's Fault

Q. Did Adam and Eve remain faithful to God?

A. Adam and Eve did not remain faithful to God, but broke His command by eating the forbidden fruit.

Q. Who was the first to disobey God?

A. Eve was the first to disobey God, and she induced Adam to do likewise.

Q. What befell Adam and Eve on account of their sin?

A. Adam and Eve, on account of their sin, lost innocence and holiness, and were doomed to sickness and death.

Most young U. S. Roman Catholics learn about Original Sin from these questions & answers in the "Penny" or "Baltimore" catechism, first published in 1885. From them they might infer that Eve was at least as guilty as her spouse. But this is not good Roman Catholic doctrine: Adam, as father of the human race, bore the blame for Original Sin; Eve, only for her own sin. Last week, at a convention in Kansas City of the National Catholic Education Association, Father Francis J. Connell revealed that in the revised U. S. catechism which long has been in preparation (TIME, Oct. 17, 1938), Eve will be clearly exonerated. The central question & answer will probably be stated as simply as in the catechism of the late Cardinal Gasparri (translated and edited at the Catholic University of America): Q. What do we call this sin which comes down to us from Adam? A. We call this sin which comes down to us from Adam Original Sin.

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