"The basis for education to the Christian faith played also a polemic role against the pagans, the Judean-Christians, and the Manicheans", recalled the Pope, speaking about the figure of St. Cyrill, whose "ecclesiastic culture" "focussed on the study of the Bible" "in a ‘symphonic’ relationship between the two Testaments". Cyrill’s argument, said the Pope, "was based on the carrying out of the promises in the Old Testament, in a language full of images. The catechesis was an important topic, which was part of the vast context of the whole life, and in particular, the liturgical life, of the Christian community". According to Benedict XVI, Cyrill’s homilies "make up systematic catechesis of the rebirth of the Christian through Baptism". As for the moral catechesis, Cyrill "is firmly anchored to the doctrinal catechesis: the dogma is progressively infused into the souls, which are thus encouraged to change their pagan behaviours, in accordance with the new life with Christ". Finally, the "mystagogic" catechesis "was the climax of the teachings which Cyrill taught not to the catechumens any longer, but to the newly baptized or the neophytes during the Easter week".
