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As of April 21, 2025, the Apostolic See is vacant. By law, during the vacancy nothing is to be altered in the governance of the universal Church (c. 335).
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Category Archives: Clergy Issues
Did Benedict XVI Cover Up Clerical Sexual Abuse?
Q: Can you please explain why in Germany they are attacking the Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, claiming that he covered up child sexual abuse by priests when he was Archbishop of Munich? Can this be true? I cannot believe it … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, The Pope
Tagged Benedict XVI, canon law, Catholic, Crimen sollicitatonis, Pope Emeritus, sexual abuse
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Is it a Sacrilege to Hit a Priest?
Q: When I was a child, I learned that it would be a sacrilege to strike a Catholic priest. He is a man of God and over the centuries the Church has considered him to be sacrosanct, or so we … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, Crimes and Sanctions
Tagged attack, canon law, Catholic, clergy, priest, sacrilege, sanction
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Founding New Religious Institutes: Pope Francis Changes the Law (Episcopal Authority, Part II)
Q: A group of us Catholics in our diocese have a lawfully erected lay institute that’s now almost 15 years old … [and] from the beginning it was our understanding that if it prospers, it might later be formed into … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, Other Canonical Questions, The Pope
Tagged canon law, Catholic, diocesan right, pontifical right, Pope Francis, religious institute
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Can a Catholic Sue the Church in Civil Court?
Q: Does a person have the right, both moral and legal, under canon law, to sue a Church Institution and/or the individuals in authority over the institutions in civil court, whether they be bishops or lay persons? In particular, I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, Crimes and Sanctions, Rights of the Faithful
Tagged bishop, canon law, Catholic, civil court, seminarian, sue
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Can Church Officials Require Us to Get Vaccinated?
Q1: My daughter attends [a Catholic university whose president is a Catholic priest] and he announced that all students are required to get vaccinated against covid. We are stunned. Does a Catholic school, which I assume is governed by canon … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, Rights of the Faithful
Tagged bishop, canon law, Catholic, monastery, nun, priest, seminarian, university, vaccinated, vaccine
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