A catayltic process for the hydrogenation of aromatic polymers is disclosed. The catalyst used in the process is a metal or mixture of metals of sub-group VIII of the periodic table together with a support of silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide or a mixture thereof. The catalyst, having pores is characaterized in that the pores having diameters of 100 to 1,000 Å constitute less than 15 percent of the total volume of pores. The hydrogenation, that is carried out in the presence of at least one oxygen-containing hydrocarbon is characterized in that it is essentially complete and without significant degradation of molecular weights.