The document-- entitled Memory and Reconciliation: The Church and the Faults of the Past-- was prepared by the International Theological Commission under the editorial direction of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The six-chapter document explains the approach taken by Pope John Paul II when he called for an examination of conscience and a request for pardon on behalf of the Church, as preparation for the celebration of the Jubilee.

The first chapter explains that the Pope's request is an unprecedented one. It draws a careful distinction between the Church as the bride of Christ, "holy and immaculate," and the people who make up that Church, who are sinners in need of pardon. Since the Church herself is holy, the document points out, "the purification of memory" should not be misinterpreted as a suggestion that the Church has erred on questions of faith and morals, or has failed in her task of "proclaiming the revealed truth which has been confided to her."

The document also points out that one cannot hold the Christians of today responsible for the errors of their predecessors in the Church. "Sin is always personal, although it wounds the entire Church," the document states. However, the "accumulation and concentration of personal sins" can produce social problems, and problems within the Church, causing the need for purification. Throughout the Bible, Memory and Reconciliation observes, the People of God have made a confession of sin as a part of their request for God's pardon. In the Old Testament, such confessions and pleas for pardon are addressed solely toward God; in the New Testament, because of the understanding that sin harms one's brothers, Christians have also asked for pardon from their neighbors. The document explains that the Pope's intention, in asking for pardon on behalf of the Church, is in line with "the authentic spirit of the Biblical Jubilee, which calls for the performance of acts intended to reestablish God's original design for creation."

Memory and Reconciliation also draws a distinction between "the holiness of the Church" and "holiness within the Church." It explains the holiness of the Church is founded on "the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit," and is guaranteed to remain intact "until the end of time." Holiness within the Church, however, is the responsibility of each baptized Christian. Because individual Christians are sinners, the document explains, the harms caused by sin "pose obstacles on the road to salvation for everyone." Thus in a sense the Church is harmed by sin. In judging the past, Memory and Reconciliation warns against two extremes: the effort to justify all of Christian history, and the tendency to make rash judgments on the basis of inadequate evidence and understanding. A proper judgment can be made only when historical research produces a "moral certainty" that certain Christians acted in a way that was contrary to the Gospel, and did so in the name of the Church. Memory and Reconciliation stresses that such a judgment should not be made on the basis of popular misconceptions about certain historical errors, since those conceptions are frequently "false and unacceptable." However there are times when Church leaders acted improperly, the document concedes. And in recognition of those faults, the Christians of today-- who "feel themselves bound to the baptized of yesterday" by bonds of Christian solidarity-- should seek pardon.

The document carefully points out that the subjective responsibility for an evil act dies with the individual sinner; it is not passed down to his children. However, the objective consequences of that act may endure, and become a burden on the conscience. This is the reason for the "honest and fruitful examination of conscience" sought by the Holy Father. The ultimate goal of that process is to allow "reconciliation with God" and the promote unity among men-- especially among baptized Christians.