Hi,
I was discussing animal rights on the Open Mic board and someone quoted the Catechism, which states that animal testing is morally acceptable. I strongly disagree and this sparked me to ask, is everything in the Catechism infallible dogmatic teaching? Or, is it a compendium of various thoughts of the Church fathers, scripture, etc? I'm thinking the CC probably is infallible but I wanted to make sure. I'm still holding on to hope that it's not, I guess. -Katie

Most of the Doctrines in the Catechism are infallible. However there were some subtle but dramatic changes, for instance on the death penalty, between the 1996 version and the 2000 versions. So not all of them are

That we can test on animals, for legitimate purposes like medicine, would be part of the natural law and the ordinary universal magisterium and therefore infallible. I would say cosmetic testing of animals is sinful and related to vanity and greed. The Catechism also says that to needless cause animals to suffer is sinful.

"If animals are raised specifically for a purpose, like minks for furs, then they should be treated with care and not with cruelty. The waste or the mistreatment of animals is an affront to our human dignity and thereby sinful. (Cf. the Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2418.)"

Please also consider we owe assent of mind and will to all the Catechism and assent of faith to most of it.