Excommunication and Bad-Mouthing the Pope

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: During this Jubilee Year, “Missionaries of Mercy” have been sent around the world with special powers to lift excommunications. The Vatican Archbishop who made this announcement mentioned the excommunicable crime of physical violence against the Pope, and said that this includes speech which criticizes him. This was a great shock to me… can we Catholics really be excommunicated if we say something negative about the Pope? What happens when a fellow bishop or a personal friend speaks to Pope Francis, and finds fault with something he said or did, is he penalized for daring to object? Criticism can often be a healthy thing. To me it sounds like a police state… –Matteo Continue reading →

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How Can You Tell a Real Priest From a Fake?

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: Did you hear about the man caught masquerading as a priest in Los Angeles? I never thought about it before, but now I’m wondering why this doesn’t happen more often…. What is a pastor expected to do when a man claiming to be a priest wants to use the church to say Mass, or offers to help out at the parish in other ways? –Shannon Continue reading →

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Besides the Priest, Who Else is Bound by the Seal of Confession?

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: There’s a priest from [a third-world country] in residence in my parish…. In the confessional he didn’t want to give me absolution. He said he didn’t know if I had sinned, since maybe I had done these things by accident. But you could say that about practically any sin… it didn’t make any sense. He doesn’t seem to understand basic theological concepts. We got into a theological argument, and eventually I said that I would tell our pastor about this. The priest insisted I can’t do that, since it would violate the seal of confession!

I thought the sacramental seal bound only the priest hearing the confession. Am I forbidden to talk about my own confession to others? Can’t I repeat to the pastor what this priest was telling me in the confessional? –Christopher Continue reading →

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Could Canon Law be Changed to Permit Gay Marriage?

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: Many countries today have legalized gay marriage. Could such a marriage ever be possible in the Catholic Church?  Is it automatically invalid because they can never consummate the marriage or have children? I worry that governments might try to force Catholic priests to perform these marriage ceremonies. –Miroslav Continue reading →

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When Can Catholic Soldiers Receive Sacraments from Non-Catholic Chaplains?

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: I am [in the U.S. armed forces] and we were discussing the fact that military chaplains come in all denominations.  Can a Jewish, Muslim, or Sikh chaplain baptize someone a Catholic? Can a Jewish, Muslim, or Sikh chaplain give Communion or last rites to a Catholic? –Eric Continue reading →

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