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Category Archives: Sacraments
Who Decides Whether a Catholic Has Been Excommunicated?
Q: My (big mouthed!) spiritual director directly broke the seal of confession (names and sins) privately to me not once but twice (same conversation)…. When it happened, I called him out on it and told him he had just excommunicated … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, Confession, Crimes and Sanctions, Sacraments
Tagged canon law, Catholic, confession, excommunicated, latae sententiae, sacramental seal
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Excommunication and the Seal of Confession (Sanctions, Part VI)
Q: My question relates to the seal of the confessional because I am wondering if I broke it. I know I acted imprudently, but whether or not I broke it is somewhat unclear to me…. I was hearing confessions and … Continue reading
Posted in Confession, Crimes and Sanctions, Sacraments
Tagged canon law, Catholic, sacramental seal, seal of confession
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Bishops Interfering in Parish Ministry, Part II
Q: The bishop of [a diocese in the US] is giving an annual retreat which nearly every priest in the diocese must attend, leaving parishes without priests, daily Mass, and access to the sacraments for four days. He stated that … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, Holy Mass, Parish Life, Rights of the Faithful, Sacraments
Tagged bishop, canon law, Catholic, clergy, diocese, retreat
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Preventing Desecration of the Eucharist
Q: My diocese has seen a spate of attempted thefts of the Eucharist. Usually this happens when someone receives the Host and tries to put It into his/her pocket. Once, though, someone approached a deacon with money and tried to … Continue reading
Posted in Crimes and Sanctions, Holy Mass, Parish Life, The Eucharist
Tagged canon law, Catholic, desecration, eucharist, holy communion, satanism, satanist
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Can I Become a Priest, If I Have an Illegitimate Child?
Q1: I have been discerning a call to the priesthood … [and] I have met with the vocations director and the bishop of this diocese. The bishop said I cannot be ordained a priest because I have a child out … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, Holy Orders, Sacraments
Tagged canon law, Catholic, illegitimate, ordain, ordination, priest
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