Montenegro, Mogrovejo -- Same Difference?

First off, today is the feast of St Joseph the Worker. It's a holiday in the Vatican, so I'm taking it a bit easy. Hope you are, too.

One of my readers is amazing, keeping me incredibly well-stocked in the books department. There's always some quality tome or another coming my way. The most recent additions to that line are the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, just released in English, in its US and UK hardback editions.

Sweet, eh?

Of course, the Compendio was released in Italian last summer to rave reviews, and I love my copy and still use it all the time. I translated a couple questions and answers into English back then, very curious as to how the official concoctions would stack up.

First, a note on the aesthetics. The translations are the same, and the UK version is identitical in its size and presentation to the much-acclaimed Italian version -- and at a cost which works out to US$12.70, it's at an accessible price-point.

However, for some reason the US edition in hardcover -- released by the publishing arm of the episcopal conference -- is bulkier and comes in at almost twice the cost ($24.95), a barrier which would seemingly inhibit the unchurched (or de-churched) who have a curiousity and who are (supposedly) the intended audience for which this work was prepared. And the green cover just doesn't have the same feel to it.

Discuss -- but buy the UK edition for a more enriching experience.

In paragraph 22 of both editions, the four Evangelists are called the "principle witnesses to the life and teaching of Jesus." Note the misspelling -- should be "principal."

How many times was the release delayed, again?

In 'graf 40, the editors seem to have been granted the power of canonization, as we're introduced to a new saint: "St Turibius of Montenegro."

Montenegro?

Hmm -- it seems the Spaniard bilocated and took up in the Balkans while simultaneously serving as a bishop in the New World. As the Compendium is supposed to answer all our questions, that's the implication I'm getting -- remember, this is a definitive text.

OK, so that's a handful of pages read, and already two typos picked up....

Oh, and in the prayers section, in the Regina Caeli -- which you're hopefully all saying at 6, 12 and 6 -- "Ora pro nobis Deum" goes untranslated.

Just so you know, it means, "Pray for us to God."

Are there more? Drop me a line if so, and I'll keep a running tally; it'll be forwarded to whoever proofread the texts.

Let's just hope the Ex-Anglica -- er, Roman Missal sets a higher bar. As a friend says, "I’m beginning to see why the Vatican and ICEL are keeping the names of the translators secret – SO THEY WON’T LOSE THEIR FULLTIME JOBS!"

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