Abstract
In the public schools in the diocese of Quebec, catechetical education is integrated into the school programme as a whole and given by titular professors., These manifest a general benevolence in this regard but we may ask ourselves if this is not rather the reflection of a cultural situation where religion occupies a privileged position than the desire for an objective transmission of the catechetical message. A certain number of indications allow this problem to be specified: the teaching of catechism is considered « useful », little liberty is felt in its regard. It has little connection with the christian community, is mostly notional, and the motivations of the beliefs supporting it are largely anthropocentric. From the picture thus given, we may forward the hypothesis that the « taught catechism » in the milieu studied is more forcefully inspired by a cultural standard setting into motion the religious notions of the milieu than by an objective standard seeking a specific transmission of the christian message.