Question: Please distinguish between baptism by water, desire, and blood. Answer: Since the Second Vatican Council, there has been a lot of misunderstanding about the necessity of baptism for salvation. Prior to the Council, theologians … [Read more...]
Philosophy Is About Real Questions: Why the Pain If There Is No One There?
June 13, 2016 by Francis Etheredge
Although we are naturally philosophers (cf. Fides et Ratio, 3-4, 33), what will bring that search for the truth to the fore and confront us with a question in search of an answer? There are those, however, that claim that truth does not … [Read more...]
Spring Reading for April 2016
April 14, 2016 by Book Reviews
What Would Pope Francis Do? By Sean Salai, S.J. (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor Press, 2016), 144 pages; $14.95. Reviewed by David Paternostro, S.J. Paul: Windows on His Thought and His World. By Maria Pascuzzi; (Winona, MN: Anselm … [Read more...]
The Sacrament of Matrimony: A Conversation with Millennials
August 30, 2015 by Father Philip-Michael F. Tangorra, STL
Abbreviations LG: Lumen Gentium, Second Vatican Council Dogmatic Constitution on the Church MR: Missale Romanum (Roman Missal) (2010) SC: Sacrosanctum Concilium, Second Vatican Council Constitution on the Sacred … [Read more...]
July Editorial: Interview with Dr. Janet Smith of the Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit
July 27, 2015 by David Vincent Meconi
Fr. Meconi: It is an honor to be with you. Your reflections on the beauty of Humanae Vitae, and the Church’s incessant teaching on the divine will for married love, have helped many come to see what Christian marriage really means. R … [Read more...]
A “Categorical Silence” in the Preparatory Questionnaire for the 2015 Synod
July 27, 2015 by Fr. Mark A. Pilon
“Make no mistake, my brothers: those who corrupt families will not inherit the kingdom of God.” —Ignatius of Antioch, To the Ephesians In his 2007 autobiography, Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, retired Archbishop of Bologna, recalled his surpr … [Read more...]
Pope Francis and the Just Third Way
June 13, 2015 by Michael D. Greaney, CPA, MBA
This article is now available in Spanish and Spanish-English PDFs. Pope Francis faces many challenges in his efforts to modernize the application of Catholic social doctrine to today’s problems, particularly the growing global wealth, i … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
May 12, 2015 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Can you give me some advice on the morality of anger? Is it always evil? Does the Church give practical moral norms for hiring in companies? Question: Can you give me some advice on the morality of anger? Is it always … [Read more...]
Offering Dignity through Hope, Not Death with Dignity
April 15, 2015 by Stephanie H. To
In February of 2015, Valentina Maureira, a 14-year-old Chilean girl with cystic fibrosis, created a viral video appealing to Chile’s President for assisted suicide.[1. Worland, Justin. “Chilean 14-Year-Old with Cystic Fibrosis Asks to Be All … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
April 15, 2015 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Pope Francis seems to be placing a renewed emphasis on the teachings of the Church regarding the ethical pursuit of wealth and business. Are there practical norms for the correct use of economic power in a firm? Lumen Gentium was very … [Read more...]
Sacrificing Priests on the Altar of Insurance
February 24, 2015 by David A. Shaneyfelt and Joseph P. Maher
Fr. Bob (that’s what we’ll call him) was a faithful parish priest for more than 25 years. One day, a process server showed up at the rectory door and handed him a summons and complaint. The complaint alleged that some 20 years earlier he had … [Read more...]
May We Donate Our Organs?
October 29, 2014 by Drs. Jay Boyd and Paul A. Byrne
It is likely that most Catholics consider the question of the morality of organ donation to be a settled matter, and to view it as a noble and generous gesture on the part of donors. After all, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
For June 2014
June 11, 2014 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
What are the legal ethics underlying conduct followed by law courts and lawyers practicing in them? What is the origin of the concept of "private property"? How does this effect the morality of "labor" and "work"? Question: In … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
March 2014
March 21, 2014 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Can you tell me the origin of the discipline of celibacy and why the Western Church puts so much emphasis on it? Has the Church changed its teaching on the subject of condom use to prevent the spread of the HIV virus? Question: In … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
February 20, 2014 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
What concerns should a priest have in the weekly homily? “New Evangelization:” What does it mean, and what are its primary focuses? Question: What concerns should a priest have in the weekly homily? Answer: Priests know that the … [Read more...]
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