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Category Archives: The Pope
Limiting Diocesan Bishops’ Authority: Recent Decrees From Pope Francis
Q: I would like to ask a question about diocesan bishops and episcopal authority, but I don’t know how to formulate it. I hope you’ll bear patiently with me, there’s a confused jumble of ideas in my head! These ideas … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, The Pope
Tagged bishop, canon law, Catholic, diocesan bishop, Episcopal, Fiducia Supplicans
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Fiducia Supplicans and the Magisterium
Q: When reading news about Fiducia Supplicans, and then reading the declaration itself, I was struck by this statement it contains about the Church’s Magisterium: Such theological reflection, based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis, implies a real development … Continue reading
Posted in Catholic Education, Other Canonical Questions, The Pope
Tagged blessing, canon law, Catholic, Fiducia Supplicans, magisterial teaching, magisterium
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Removing a Bishop From His Diocese: The Case of Bishop Strickland
Q: I don’t need to tell you, practically the whole Catholic world is looking at the removal of Bishop Strickland from [his diocese of] Tyler, [Texas,] and wondering what happened and why. From the perspective of canon law, what did … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, Crimes and Sanctions, The Pope
Tagged Bishop Strickland, canon law, Catholic, delict, Pope Francis
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Can Laypeople Hold Top Vatican Positions?
Q: My husband and I are hoping that you can clear up our confusion about the significance of this article … about Pope Francis reorganizing the different offices in the Vatican. It sounds to us like the Pope says that … Continue reading
Posted in Clergy Issues, Other Canonical Questions, Rights of the Faithful, The Pope
Tagged canon law, Catholic, clergy, laypeople, Lumen Gentium, power of governance, Praedicate Evangelium
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What Are the Church’s Current Rules on Indulgences? (Repost)
(On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis will give the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing in St. Peter’s Square, and under the proper conditions Catholics can gain a plenary indulgence. So it seems appropriate to repost the Church’s rules on indulgences at … Continue reading
Posted in Other Canonical Questions, The Pope
Tagged canon law, Catholic, indulgences, papal blessing
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