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Author Archives: canonlawmadeeasy
Can Catholic Children Receive the Last Rites?
Q: Some years ago, a good friend’s two-year-old daughter died of a congenital problem. Only recently she told me that when the priest came to see them all in the hospital when the girl was dying, they asked him to … Continue reading
Posted in Annointing of the Sick
Tagged canon law, Catholic, extreme unction, last rites
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Can a Priest Ever Return to the Lay State?
Q: I thought once a man was ordained a priest, he is always a priest. So how is it that some priests get permission to leave the priesthood and get married? Sometimes you hear about somebody being a “former priest,” … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues
Tagged canon law, Catholic, clergy, laicization, priest
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Confession by Appointment and Face-to-Face
Q1: We just moved, and our new parish doesn’t have set confession times. The bulletin says “confessions by appointment.” My wife doesn’t think that’s a violation of our right to receive the sacrament, since the priest will hear our confessions … Continue reading
Posted in Confession, Rights of the Faithful
Tagged canon law, Catholic, confession, confessional
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What if the Other Spouse Doesn’t Want the Annulment?
Q: I read Sheila Kennedy’s book about her annulment experience, and it sure sounds like the Boston archdiocese put her through hell! I heard later that she appealed to the Vatican and they overturned the annulment her husband had got … Continue reading
Posted in Canonical Issues Involving Non-Catholics, Marriage
Tagged annulment, canon law, Catholic, marriage, Sheila Kennedy
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How Soon Should a Baby be Baptized?
Q: Our new next-door neighbors have a 14-month-old daughter. They’re Catholics, but I just found out that they still haven’t had their daughter baptized yet! When our own children were born over 30 years ago, we had them baptized when … Continue reading