What is heresy in the Catholic Church?

In the Catholic Church, heresy is formally defined as the obstinate denial or doubt of a truth that must be believed by divine and Catholic faith after receiving baptism. This concept encompasses both the erroneous belief itself and the deliberate attitude behind it. It is distinct from other religious offenses such as apostasy and blasphemy.

What we know

• The Catholic Church defines heresy as the obstinate denial or doubt, after receiving baptism, of any truth to be believed by divine and Catholic faith. [3]
• The term heresy connotes both the specific belief itself and the personal attitude towards that belief. [3]
• Heresy is distinct from apostasy, which is an explicit renunciation of one's religion, and from blasphemy, which is an impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things. [5]

Where to go next

• compared withHow does heresy differ from apostasy?
• what followedWhat are the historical penalties for heresy?
• the bigger pictureWhat is an impediment in Catholic canon law?
• how it workedWhat is the study of heresy called?
• an unexpected connectionHow is canon law studied at a doctoral level?

Sources

• [1]impediment (Wikidata Q5033369) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Impediment (Catholic canon law) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Heresy in the Catholic Church · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Doctor of Canon Law · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Heresy · CC BY-SA 4.0