Q. My husband of 60 years will soon celebrate his 86th birthday. He is a baptized Protestant. He attends Mass with me every Sunday, does the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, comes with me for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and attends Holy Week services. The only thing he does not do is re...
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Q. In a recent column, you quoted Luke 24:39 ("Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.") Are we to believe from this that Our Lord is confirming the existence of ghosts? (Virginia Beach, Virginia) A. I...
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Q. Recently a funeral Mass was offered on a Sunday afternoon in our parish for a longtime parishioner. I believe I remember as a child being taught by the sisters in our Catholic school that funerals were never held on Sundays (except possibly in time of war or during the Middle Ages when the plagu...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The time has come for an "all-out battle" against the abuse of minors, erasing this abominable crime from the face of the earth, Pope Francis said, closing a global four-day summit on child protection in the Catholic Church.         ...
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ROME—Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement on Feb. 24, the final day of a four-day meeting attended by Presidents of Bishops’ Conferences from across the globe. &#...
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Q. From what we are seeing on social media here in New York state, there seems to be some misunderstanding about what excommunication is and how it happens. Does the pope excommunicate someone, or can a bishop? Is there a process? What is the pastoral approach to something like this? What are the c...
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Q. I firmly believe that at Mass the Eucharist becomes Christ's body and blood. But here's what I don't understand: Why then do the properties of the bread and wine still affect people --- for example, those with wheat allergies or alcoholics? (Danville, Indiana) A. Not surprisingly, this is a bit...
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Q. I have heard that the "rite of betrothal" is becoming popular in certain young Catholic circles. What does this rite entail? Was it more common prior to the Second Vatican Council? Would you recommend that an engaged couple seek out this rite? (Washington) A. The rite of betrothal was a little-k...
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WASHINGTON—Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., Chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, has issued the following statement in response to several states moving forward with legislation that would permit a baby to be aborted at nine...
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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (CNS) –  Meeting with tens of thousands of Catholics living in the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis urged them to be meek, peaceful and express their Christian identity by loving others.            ...
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