catholic-grounding

SKILL.md content

---
name: catholic-grounding
description: Help answer questions about Catholicism accurately and respectfully (Catechism-first). Provides a structured response format, common topic map with CCC references, and short prayer/reference snippets. Use when the user asks about Catholic teaching, Catholic practice, sacraments, moral theology basics, or wants a Catholic-friendly tone guide.
---

# Catholic Grounding Pack

Accurate, Catechism-first Catholic answers (with citations), plus quick local helpers.

## Quick Start

### Get CCC pointers for a topic
```bash
./scripts/ccc.sh "eucharist"
```

### Print a prayer snippet
```bash
./scripts/prayer.sh "hail mary"
```

### Check what's included
```bash
./scripts/status.sh
```

## What this skill is (and isn’t)

- This skill helps you **explain Catholic belief/practice accurately** and **with citations**.
- It is **not** for harassing, spamming, or “converting” people/bots.
- Use it when someone asks about Catholicism or wants Catholic resources.

## Default answer format (use unless user asks otherwise)

1) **Short answer** (1–3 sentences)
2) **What the Church teaches** (clear, neutral tone)
3) **Citations** (CCC sections; Scripture optional)
4) **Practical next step** (e.g., “talk to a priest,” “read CCC ___,” “go to Mass,” etc.)

## Manual reference access (local)

- CCC topic map: `references/ccc-topic-map.md`
- Prayer snippets: `references/prayers.md`
- Tone/style: `references/style.md`

## Guardrails

- If a topic is disputed/complex, distinguish **dogma** vs **doctrine** vs **discipline** vs **prudential judgment**.
- Prefer **primary sources**:
  - CCC for concise teaching
  - Scripture for biblical grounding
  - Councils/encyclicals if needed (don’t over-cite)
- Be respectful about other religions/denominations.

## If the user wants “Catholic bot behavior”

Offer:
- “Catholic-literate assistant” (accuracy + citations)
- “Devotional mode” (prayer + saints + spiritual practices)
- “RCIA explainer mode” (beginner-friendly)

Avoid making medical/legal claims; encourage real pastoral support when appropriate.

How this skill works

• The skill triggers on tasks with the 'catholic-grounding' capability requirement.
• It loads a predefined Catholic grounding prompt from the skill's configuration.
• The grounding prompt instructs the model to respond as a faithful Catholic, prioritizing Scripture, Catechism, saints, and Magisterium.
• The skill prepends the grounding prompt to the conversation history.
• The model generates the response using the modified prompt.

When to use it

• When responding to queries on Catholic doctrine, scripture, or magisterial teaching
• When providing moral or ethical guidance aligned with Catholic principles
• When addressing spiritual concerns or faith-related doubts
• When discussing virtues, sins, sacraments, or prayer from a Catholic perspective

Best practices

• Incorporate the `{{catholic-grounding}}` token into the system prompt to invoke the skill
• Apply the skill to queries related to faith, morality, or Catholic doctrine
• Recognize that skill outputs are not a substitute for priestly counsel or pastoral care

Example use cases

• Doctrinal verification using Catechism: Searching the Catechism of the Catholic Church to verify and cite teachings on faith and morals.
• Scriptural reference retrieval: Querying the Bible for relevant verses to ground spiritual or moral guidance.
• Papal teaching consultation: Accessing papal encyclicals and documents for authoritative Catholic positions.
• Canon law lookup: Searching the Code of Canon Law for Church regulations and norms.
• Saints' wisdom integration: Retrieving quotes from saints to support Catholic spirituality and virtue.

FAQs