Why can't a priest ever marry?

Why can't a priest ever marry?

Answer

In the Eastern rites of the Church it is common for married men to be ordained to the priesthood. Further, in the Latin rite there are a few married men, converted ministers from other faiths, who are ordained to the Catholic priesthood. This, however, is not common. Finally, in neither the Latin rite nor the Eastern rites do priests (or deacons) marry after they have been ordained, except in extraordinary circumstances.

The reasons Latin rite priests can’t marry is both theological and canonical.

Theologically, it may be pointed out that priests serve in the place of Christ and therefore, their ministry specially configures them to Christ. As is clear from Scripture, Christ was not married (except in a mystical sense, to the Church). By remaining celibate and devoting themselves to the service of the Church, priests more closely model, configure themselves to, and consecrate themselves to Christ.

As Christ himself makes clear, none of us will be married in heaven (Mt 22:23–30). By remaining unmarried in this life, priests are more closely configured to the final, eschatological state that will be all of ours.

Paul makes it very clear that remaining single allows one’s attention to be undivided in serving the Lord (1 Cor 7:32–35). He recommends celibacy to all (1 Cor 7:7) but especially to ministers, who as soldiers of Christ he urges to abstain from "civilian affairs" (2 Tm 2:3–4).

Canonically, priests cannot marry for a number of reasons. First, priests who belong to religious orders take vows of celibacy. Second, while diocesan priests do not take vows, they do make a promise of celibacy.

Third, the Church has established impediments that block the validity of marriages attempted by those who have been ordained. Canon 1087 states: "Persons who are in holy orders invalidly attempt marriage."

This impediment remains as long as the priest has not been dispensed from it, even if he were to attempt a civil marriage, even if he left the Church and joined a non-Catholic sect, and even if he apostatized from the Christian faith altogether. He cannot be validly married after ordination unless he receives a dispensation from the Holy See (CIC 1078 §2, 1).

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

How do crucifixes fit in with the Old Testament prohibition of graven images?

How do crucifixes fit in with the Old Testament prohibition of graven images?

Full Question

In the Old Testament graven images are prohibited, yet the Church encourages crucifixes, images of the Sacred Heart, etc. I have always wondered about this. What can you tell me?

Answer

Many non-Catholic Christians use the passage you refer to, Exodus 20:4-5, to "prove" to Catholics that making "any graven images or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath" is detestable to God. But when this passage is read in context, it is not the making of images that is condemned but the worship of them.

In fact, five chapters later God commands the Israelites to make two golden statues of angels as part of the lid of the ark of the Covenant (Ex 25:17-19). That’s an image of something from heaven. Then, in 1 Kings 6, God commands that graven images of flowers and palm trees be made, as well as 15-foot tall statues of cherubim. And in Numbers 21, God commands that a bronze serpent be made and uses it to heal the Israelites. It was preserved for 800 years and then destroyed when some began to worship it (2 Kgs 18:4).

Catholics do not worship statues, because only God is deserving of adoration. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is adamant in affirming this (CCC 2112–2114). When a Catholic bows to a statue, he is not worshiping it any more than King Solomon worshiped Bathsheba when he bowed to her in 1 Kings 2:19. In other words, the honor given to images does not detract from the honor that is due to God. After all, if one member of the body is honored, the others should share in its joy (1 Cor 12:26).

If someone enters your house, he should expect to find a picture of your mother. So, when someone walks into a Catholic Church—the household of God—he should not be surprised to find a picture of the mother of God, along with the rest of the heavenly family!

In giving the Israelites a beautiful temple strewn with images (1 Kgs 6), God acknowledged the reason why he gave us our senses: to use them to worship him in spirit and truth.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

If Jesus was really God, why did Satan try to tempt him?

If Jesus was really God, why did Satan try to tempt him? Doesn't he know that God can't sin?

Full Question

If Jesus was really God, why did Satan try to tempt him? Doesn't he know that God can't sin?

Answer

Yes, he does know, which is why he tried to tempt him. If Jesus had succumbed to the temptation, the devil would have known that Jesus wasn’t the real Messiah.

Remember, the devil isn’t God. He isn’t omniscient or infallible and so doesn’t know everything. He can make mistakes. As Aquinas puts it:

The minds of demons are utterly perverted from the Divine wisdom, they at times form their opinions of things simply according to the natural conditions of the same. Nor are they ever deceived as to the natural properties of anything; but they can be misled with regard to supernatural matters; for example, on seeing a dead man, they may suppose that he will not rise again, or, on beholding Christ, they may judge him not to be God. (ST I:58:5)

Thus, to establish that Jesus was God, the devil needed to do a little testing. 

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Is it wrong to use sex-selection methods to avoid passing on a serious illness?

Is it wrong to use sex-selection methods to avoid passing on a serious illness?

Full Question

I am a carrier of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which means if I have a boy there's a good chance he will have this terrible disease. I want to do everything possible to make sure my next child is healthy. There's a process called MicroSort that increases the chance of having a boy or girl by removing sperm with Y-chromosomes. Is this process wrong according to the Church?

Answer

It is wrong according not only to the Church but according to God. God designed human sexuality to work in a particular way. Medical technology can be used to assist the natural functioning of that process (e.g., surgery could be used to repair fallopian or vas deferens tubes), but medical technology cannot be used morally to replace the reproductive process that God designed. Indeed, nothing can replace the process morally (that is why homosexual behavior, for example, is intrinsically immoral).

The MicroSort process involves several stages that unambiguously interfere with God’s design for human sexuality. The sperm must be collected, sorted outside of the body, and then either in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination must be done. All of these—including the way the sperm collection is normally done—are intrinsically contrary to the way God has set up human reproduction. The Micro-Sort method thus constitutes a replacement of natural and not the assistance of nature and is intrinsically gravely sinful.

There may be, however, something natural that can be done in your situation. For further assistance, contact the National Catholic Bioethics Center, 159 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02135, (617) 787-1900, www.ncbcenter.org.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Does God promise us happiness?

Does God promise us happiness?

Full Question

I have a friend that says God does not promise us happiness. But I have read in Psalm 41:1-4 that God makes us happy when we are concerned for the poor. Can we claim this as a promise if we take care of the poor?

Answer

There are a couple of things to be said here. First, Psalm 41:1-4 expresses in general terms how God deals with those who care for the poor. It does not translate into a specific promise to a specific individual.

For example, verse 4 says that God will sustain them on their sickbed and heal them of their illnesses. This may be how God operates in general, but it does not mean that an individual who has cared for the poor has a specific promise that he in particular will be healed of a particular illness. After all, we all die sometime, and if we had an automatic guarantee of healing in exchange for giving to the poor, medical science and human life spans would be quite different than they are.

Second, broadly speaking, we might speak of two general sorts of happiness—material and spiritual. Material happiness is what we receive from material good fortune—health, prosperity, etc. Spiritual happiness is what we receive from spiritual good fortune—grace and forgiveness, performing works of mercy, and in the next life attaining the beatific vision of God.

When people say that God has not promised us happiness, they usually mean that God has not promised us material happiness in this life. In this life we may have to undergo suffering, even great suffering. But God has promised spiritual happiness, especially in the next life, to all who follow him.

It would seem that when your friend said that God does not promise us happiness, he was referring to the material happiness. And in that regard he is right. God has, however, promised you spiritual happiness for doing this since it is a corporal work of mercy when done out of love for God. While you can’t translate Psalm 41:1–4 into a promise of material happiness to you personally, you can know that in general God does increase the material happiness of those who care for the needs of the poor.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

May I have my child baptized in the Church if I'm not yet Catholic?

May I have my child baptized in the Church if I'm not yet Catholic?

Full Question

I am a candidate in the Catholic Church, and I would like to have my four-year-old daughter baptized. There may be quite a length of time between my initiation and being accepted into full communion with the Church. Am I permitted to ask this of the Church? Are there time restraints or requirements that may apply?

Answer

You are permitted to request baptism for your child even if you are not yet a Catholic. The Code of Canon Law states,

For the licit baptism of an infant it is necessary that: 1) the parents or at least one of them or the person who lawfully takes their place gives consent; 2) there be a founded hope that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion; if such a hope is altogether lacking, the baptism is to be put off according to the prescriptions of particular law and the parents are to be informed of the reason. (CIC 868 §1)

Your consent and the presence of a founded hope that the child will be raised Catholic are what is necessary for the baptism to take place. To establish that there is a founded hope of the child’s being raised Catholic, the priest that you talk to will likely have a number of questions and, depending on what stage of the process of joining you are at, may feel that a waiting period is appropriate to ensure that you are serious about this.

Depending on when you are scheduled to be received into the Church, it may make sense to have the baptism done at the same time as your reception, though there is no legal reason why this need be. It is a good idea, however, to have the child baptized soon so that the child will have the firmest possible Catholic identity.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Are nuns required to hand over to their order money they receive as a gift?

Are nuns required to hand over to their order money they receive as a gift?

Full Question

We have a relative who is a nun and she is about to celebrate a religious anniversary. We were going to give her a small monetary gift, but then we heard that she would just have to turn it in to her order. Is that true?

Answer

Quite possibly. As a matter of canon law, whatever a religious man or woman acquires by reason of individual labor or by reason of being a member of the institute belongs to the institute (canon 668). This is an age-old facet of religious life and is consistent with the fact that these men and women have freely chosen to live according to, among other things, the spirit of poverty and to be bound by its consequences. It also recognizes the fact that the religious institute is ultimately responsible for the material needs of its members.

Personal gifts such as you describe do not, strictly speaking, fall under the above canonical headings. However, many (my impression is most) religious orders have, also in accord with canon law, enacted special provisions whereby all members freely renounce their canonical right to own any property, including personal gifts. It is also possible for individual religious to commit to such a practice as a pious exercise (see again, 1983 CIC 668).

If either of these cases apply to your relative, as is apparently the case, she would, as a matter of freely accepted obligation, turn your gift in to her superiors. If you wonder whether such is the rule in your relative's institute, ask her. It is possible, even in cases of institutional or individual total renunciation, that a small gift from a relative would be "returned" to a religious for his or her reasonable use.

By the way, if your gift is freely given to show your love for your relative, it shouldn't be of concern to you what she does with it.

Answered by:  Edward Peters

How can I make emotional sense out of suffering when it happens?

How can I make emotional sense out of suffering when it happens?

Full Question

My husband and I have been involved with the Word Faith Movement. I have become disillusioned with their theology of suffering. I know the Scripture verses that show we are to expect suffering in this life, but how can I make emotional sense out of suffering when it happens?

Answer

Human suffering entered the world due to the effects of original sin. God does not cause the suffering. He simply permits it to happen in our lives. To understand suffering, we must first understand some basic principles about God.

God is all-knowing. He is aware of every pain we feel and every tear we shed. He can see our entire life on earth as well as our eternal destiny. God is all-loving. He loves us more than we love ourselves and would not permit something to happen to us that would keep us from our ultimate good, which is God himself. God is all-powerful. He can bring good out of evil.

Bearing these facts in mind, sometimes God permits suffering to keep us from a greater suffering later or to preserve us for a greater good. For example, you might be passed over for a seemingly great job opportunity, only to get a better one later. Or God may know a danger lurking in the job environment that could bring you physical or spiritual harm. Trusting in God helps us deal with this kind of suffering.

Sometimes God permits us to suffer the consequences of our behavior. If we are sexually promiscuous, we might suffer disease, broken relationships, and other problems caused by our behavior. This suffering brings about good when we change our lives and abide by God's laws.

Further, God permits us to lose things that we have come to worship above him. For example, someone who has made money his god may suffer the shame and hardship of bankruptcy. This suffering can bring about a total dependence on God and submission to his will.

God may allow suffering that has no apparent reason--a child dies, we are injured in a car accident, or a natural disaster strikes. These situations are the most difficult to understand. Yet though we do not see the reason for such suffering we know that there is one, even if it is not apparent from our limited perspective.

We are particularly vulnerable and weak when we suffer because we recognize that we are not in control. Yet it is precisely at this moment that we can become our strongest, if we learn to depend on God. Christ died to save us from the loss of heaven. He did not die to save us from suffering in this world.

Yet suffering need never be in vain. St. Paul says, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of the body, that is the church . . . " (Col 1:24). We can join our suffering with Christ's for the sake of others. In this way suffering becomes redemptive. It is not suffering but our response to it that makes it so.

Answered by: Jan Wakelin

Did the Catholic Church come around to the Lutheran position on faith, justification, and works?

Did the Catholic Church come around to the Lutheran position on faith, justification, and works?

Full Question

A Lutheran friend said that the Catholic Church recently agreed with Lutherans that salvation is by faith, not works. Can you tell me about this?

Answer

In October of 1999, the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed a document known as the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JD).

Neither Catholics nor Lutherans retracted their positions on justification. The document that both signed clarified one.aspect of justification that both sides could agree to, with the hope that more dialogue and agreements will follow in years to come.

Lutherans have been suspicious for a long time that the Church’s discussion of good works means that one must do good works in order to enter a state of justification. But the Catholic Church has never taught this. In Catholic teaching, one is not capable of doing supernaturally good works outside of a state of justification because one does not have the virtue of charity in one’s soul--the thing that makes good works good. Consequently, the Council of Trent taught "none of those things that precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification" (JD 8).

The Joint Declaration stressed that good works are a consequence of entering a state of justification and can never be the cause of entering it:

We confess together that good works—a Christian life lived in faith, hope, and love—follow justification and are its fruits. When the justified live in Christ and act in the grace they receive, they bring forth, in biblical terms, good fruit. . . .

When Catholics affirm the "meritorious" character of good works, they wish to say that, according to the biblical witness, a reward in heaven is promised to these works. Their intention is to emphasize the responsibility of persons for their actions, not to contest the character of those works as gifts, or far less to deny that justification always remains the unmerited gift of grace. (JD 37–38)

The document points out that, "It does not cover all that either church teaches about justification; it does encompass a consensus on basic truths of the doctrine of justification and shows that the remaining differences in its explication are no longer the occasion for doctrinal condemnations" (JD 5). 

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

How can I pray the rosary better?

How can I pray the rosary better?

Full Question

When I pray the rosary, I can't concentrate on the mysteries when I am saying the Hail Marys, so instead I pause and think of the mystery. If I try to do both at the same time, I find it difficult. I wonder if I am doing it wrong. Any suggestions you have that could help me?

Answer

First, it is not unusual to become distracted during prayer. When this happens one may try a number of things—for example, praying for a shorter time but striving to be more focused as you pray. This might mean that instead of the whole rosary you say only one decade but will have fewer distractions while praying it. Then, little by little, lengthen the time. Be sure to set aside a special time and place for prayer so that you will not feel like you should be doing something else.

Second, it is not wrong to have a special time of meditation during the rosary, separate from saying the prayers. In fact, this seems to be envisioned as the normal way of doing it in Pope Paul VI’s 1974 apostolic exhortation on Marian devotion.

In it, he noted the various elements of the rosary and then observed that each of them

has its own particular character which, wisely understood and appreciated, should be reflected in the recitation in order that the rosary may express all its richness and variety. Thus the recitation will be grave and suppliant during the Lord’s Prayer, lyrical and full of praise during the tranquil succession of Hail Marys, contemplative in the recollected meditation on the mysteries, and full of adoration during the doxology. (Marialis Cultus, 50)

This seems to envision meditation on the mysteries as a separate element, alongside the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the doxology (the "Glory Be"). He characterizes the attitude displayed in the Hail Marys as being "lyrical and full of praise" but the attitude as "contemplative" in the meditation on the mysteries.

It should be noted that Paul VI was not trying to establish one and only one way of saying the rosary, but it seems that what you are doing is in line with what he envisioned. 

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

What has to happen before new liturgical guidelines become the norm?

What has to happen before new liturgical guidelines become the norm?

Full Question

When are we to start adhering to the contents of the new General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM)? I've heard that the bishops must go over it with a fine-tooth comb first. But what more needs to be said or done when our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has put his seal of approval on it? Won't we be held bound if we don't follow it? Why make up rules if we are going to break them?

Answer

In order for a law to go into force it has to be promulgated. Usually, unless laws specify otherwise, they go into effect three months after they are published in Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS). Neither the new GIRM nor decrees ordering the publication of the new Missal have been published in AAS or promulgated through other means. Therefore, these are not yet in force. Their current legal status is (essentially) drafts of future law that have been shown to the public early. They are not yet promulgated.

When they will go into force is not clear. Rome has not made an announcement. Until such time as that happens, the current law remains in force.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

How can I defend the Church's teaching on liturgical gestures?

How can I defend the Church's teaching on liturgical gestures?

Full Question

There will be a forum held at my parish about postures and practices at Mass, like bowing before receiving our Lord. How can I defend the Church's teaching and practice when I don't have the formal training or education? The sister facilitating the forum has a master's degree in liturgy.

Answer

Whenever you find yourself in this situation, I suggest that you ask—politely—to be provided with a copy of the authoritative document from which the person is getting her information. If she cannot do this, she should at least be able to provide the name of the document, the section or paragraph from which the directive is stated, and the source from which the document came (e.g., National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Bishops’ Committee on Liturgy, the pope). In this way, you can verify whether or not the document has any authority. If you are unsure of its authority, you can contact the apologetics department at Catholic Answers for assistance.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Does prayer change God's mind?

Does prayer change God's mind?

Full Question

Someone asked me, "Do you really think you can change God's mind with prayer?" What do you think?

Answer

God does not change his mind in response to our prayers or our actions. Though Scripture sometimes speaks as if he does, this language is figurative, not literal. If he did change his mind, that would mean that God had imperfect knowledge.

However, the fact that God does not change his mind does not mean that we should refrain from praying. God, in his perfect wisdom, has made some things we need contingent on our praying for them. He does this so that we may turn our hearts to him, rely on him, trust in him, and grow in the virtues of faith, hope, and charity.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Can you help me explain transubstantiation

Can you help me explain transubstantiation, supererogation, and the temporal power of the pope?

Full Question

I would like to have an explanation of what exactly these three things are so that I can explain them to my friends: (1) transubstantiation, (2) supererogation, and (3) the temporal power of the pope.

Answer

(1) Transubstantiation is the transformation in the Eucharist of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. This transformation of substance does not affect the appearances of the elements, which continue to appear to be bread and wine. The substance changes; the appearances do not.

(2) Supererogation is doing more than what is required. For example, in 1 Corinthians 7 Paul counsels the Corinthians that he who marries does well, but he who does not marry does better (7:38). Paul thus indicates that Christians have the freedom to marry but that it is possible for them to do even better than this. Embracing a celibate life for the cause of Christ would be a case of supererogation—doing something more than what was required, since one is free to marry.

(3) The temporal power of the pope is that power which he exercises as a governmental rather than a religious leader. For example, the pope is the head of the Vatican City state. When he acts in this capacity, he is exercising temporal power as the head of a government. In former centuries the pope often had larger domains than just Vatican City state (which is tiny) and so used to have more temporal power than he does now.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

How could we know whether Christ's temptation in the desert happened as recorded if no one witnessed it?

How could we know whether Christ's temptation in the desert happened as recorded if no one witnessed it?

Full Question

If no one witnessed the interplay between Christ and Satan in the desert, what are we to make of the accuracy of the account found in the Gospel of Matthew? Does the Church have any teaching specifically directed to how such an episode in Christ's life, which apparently was not witnessed by any one else, could be accurately recounted in the Gospels?

Answer

Though this is not a matter the Church has addressed, it would seem logical that Jesus himself is the source on events recounted in the Gospels that were not witnessed by others. After the event, he told others; the story was then circulated orally among his apostles and disciples until one of them wrote it down.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Is it possible to "unsell" one's soul to the devil?

Is it possible to "unsell" one's soul to the devil?

Full Question

I read the book Doctor Faustus in which a man sells his soul to the devil in exchange for worldly pleasures. This caused me to wonder what Catholics are to think on this topic. If someone "sells his soul" is it possible to "unsell" it and again be in the state of grace?

Answer

While it is a mortal sin to attempt to sell your soul to the devil, it is impossible to do so. The soul, as the substantial form of the body, is an inalienable possession of the individual. It cannot be sold, stolen, folded, spindled, or mutilated. All one would have to do to return to a state of grace after attempting to sell one’s soul would be to go to confession.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Which Church teachings have been declared infallible?

Which Church teachings have been declared infallible?

Full Question

I have had some heated discussions recently about what teachings of the Church have been formally defined as infallible. I believe that under the definition of infallibility set forth at the First Vatican Council and affirmed at the Second Vatican Council in Lumen Gentium, the following teachings have been infallibly taught: the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, the reservation of priestly ordination to men, and the immorality of abortion and other deliberate killing of innocent persons. So, which teachings of the Church are in fact formally defined?

Answer

The Church has not yet compiled a list of all infallible teachings or dogmatic definitions. However, all of the teachings you name are infallible.

Some of them—the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption—have been infallibly taught by a definition of the extraordinary magisterium (i.e., in a definition of a pope or an ecumenical council). Others—the male priesthood, the intrinsic evil of abortion and the deliberate killing of innocents—are infallibly taught, without a definition, by the Church’s ordinary magisterium.

Tests for whether a definition has been made include: (a) if a pope is writing, does he use the phrase "I define"? and (b) if a council is writing, does it use the phrase "let him be anathema"? If either of these is the case, it’s probably an infallible definition, especially as this language has been used in recent centuries. There are other ways popes and councils can issue definitions, but these are phrases commonly used to do so.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Did people really live for 900 years as described in Genesis?

Did people really live for 900 years as described in Genesis?

Full Question

Can you give me a logical answer about the people's ages in the book of Genesis? Some of them lived to be 900 years old. What is the Catholic Church's teaching about this?

Answer

The Church has no teaching regarding whether these ages are to be taken literally or not. The Church will say that whatever Scripture says is inerrant but must be understood in terms of the conventions of literature that were in use at the time.

It is known that, in many ancient cultures, fantastically long lives were assigned to famous forebears. This could be an indication that the ages are to be taken as symbolic of the greatness and venerability of the individuals.

However, this is not something the Church has taught. God can keep people alive as long as he wants. If he wants someone to live to be 900 years old, then that person can do so.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Did the Church condemn the use of images as idolatrous in the past?

Did the Church condemn the use of images as idolatrous in the past?

Full Question

Why has the Church approved the use of images when the Church Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 753) condemned them as being "idolatrous and heretical, a temptation to the faith that originated with the devil"; and when Popes Gregory III and Constantine V (in 740) also condemned them?

Answer

You have been misled about basic historical facts by anti-Catholic propaganda. Some clarifications:

The Council of Chalcedon was held in the fifth century, not the eighth, and did not deal with sacred images at all. There was a synod around 753 that did deal with images, but in the first place, it was held in Constantinople, not Chalcedon. In the second place, while this synod was convened by a Constantine V, and while this Constantine V did oppose sacred images, he wasn’t a pope, or even a clergyman—he was the Byzantine emperor. There has never been a Pope Constantine V; only one pope has been named Constantine, and he died in 715.

The pope in 740 was St. Gregory III. It is emphatically not true that he condemned sacred images—on the contrary, he vigorously defended them. In 731 Gregory III held a synod in Rome which condemned the image-breaking heresy of Iconoclasm. In fact, Gregory III made a special point of honoring images and relics as a way of protesting Emperor Constantine V’s iconoclast efforts and persecution of those who honored sacred images. (Many devout Christians were put to death for refusing to desecrate sacred images.)

As for the so-called synod of Constantinople convened by Emperor Constantine, even before it was held it had already been rejected by the reigning pope as well as the Eastern patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. These patriarchs, together with the pope, refused to attend the emperor’s synod or to send legates in their places, since it was clear that the synod was merely a tool of the emperor and that the bishops were expected to simply endorse his iconoclast agenda.

Less than 50 years later, the seventh ecumenical council, Nicea II, which upheld the use of sacred images, rebutted this "mock synod" or "pseudo-synod."

The erroneous "facts" you mention can easily be "documented" from numerous anti-Catholic websites, all of which are merely repeating claims they’ve read from other anti-Catholics without having verified them first. In their zealous hostility against the Church, anti-Catholics often ride roughshod over the most basic historical and theological points, and constant vigilance is necessary to straighten out the facts before you can even begin to address underlying theological errors.

If you’re reading arguments from someone who thinks that Constantine V was a pope rather than an emperor, or that Gregory condemned sacred images rather than defending them, don’t rely on anything that individual says. Do some homework, and don’t just take claims like this at face value.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

If the baptizing minister doesn't intend to administer a sacrament that confers grace, is the baptism valid?

If the baptizing minister doesn't intend to administer a sacrament that confers grace, is the baptism valid?

Full Question

My Southern Baptist friend says that her church teaches that baptism does not confer grace and is not necessary for salvation. Since her pastor does not intend to administer a sacrament that confers grace, doesn't that mean that he doesn't have the right intention and so the Baptist baptism is not valid?

Answer

The validity of the sacrament does depend on the right intention of the minister. But the right intention necessary to administer the sacrament of baptism is not dependent upon a complete or accurate understanding of the effects of baptism. It entails only the will to do what Christ willed and what the Church does.

Many Protestants view baptism as a symbol rather than a life-giving sacrament, but as long as there is the intention to do what Christ willed—and as long as the baptism is done in the name of the Holy Trinity—the baptism will accomplish what Christ intended, however imperfectly that may be understood or believed by the participants.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

How am I supposed to worship with all these noisy distractions?

How am I supposed to worship with all these noisy distractions?

Full Question

Lately it has become impossible to worship at our small community church due to a complete breakdown in decorum. Children play electronic games and throw tantrums, altar servers laugh and joke while preparing, and trying to hear the homily is like trying to hear an announcement in a train station.

Answer

You need to relate all this to your pastor. He is the one who is responsible for the liturgy in your parish. If this proves futile, then contact your bishop. He is responsible for the liturgy for the entire diocese. By your baptism you are obliged to share your faith to all who will hear—even to your pastor if he’s in need of it. He needs to recognize how important your concerns are. The worship of God is the most important responsibility we all have. Don’t give up.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Would contraception constitute grounds for annulment?

Would contraception constitute grounds for annulment?

Full Question

If a couple is on contraception on their wedding day and are using it for years, could that be grounds for an annulment?

Answer

Use of contraception from the beginning of a marriage is not in and of itself grounds for finding the marriage to be null. But if from the outset either party has the explicit or implicit intention never to bring children into the world at all, or to deny the other’s right to sexual acts open to procreation, this could make it possible to declare the marriage null and void.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

To lead a moral life, is it enough to follow your conscience?

To lead a moral life, is it enough to follow your conscience?

Full Question

I've been told the only thing necessary for a Catholic to live a moral life is for him to follow his conscience. But what is your conscience tells you something that's wrong is okay?

Answer

In determining what is right and wrong, conscience doesn’t work by magic. You first have to form your conscience. This means learning about good and evil, and that’s the job for the intellect.

Many people mistakenly think that conscience is the faculty that tells us what is right and what is wrong. Conscience is better thought of as an alarm. With your intellect you learn what’s right and wrong, and then conscience "sounds off" when you are about to violate the standards your intellect has learned. If you have no standards, you’ll never hear the alarm.

But you need to make sure not just that your conscience is formed but that it is formed correctly. If it is, the moral judgments you make will be reliable. If your conscience is formed poorly, then your moral judgments won’t be trustworthy.

For example, if you’ve been taught that there’s nothing wrong with stealing—or if you’ve never been taught that stealing is wrong—you won’t have any inhibitions against stealing. Your conscience won’t bother you when you steal because it isn’t reliable when it comes to the immorality of stealing. In other words, it’s been formed—but formed incorrectly.

It’s true we have an obligation to follow our conscience, even a poorly formed or "erroneous" one, but we also have an obligation to form our consciences properly. For Catholics, this means following what Jesus teaches in Scripture and Tradition through the magisterium of the Church.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Does the Catholic Church send missionaries to spread the gospel?

Does the Catholic Church send missionaries to spread the gospel?

Full Question

I was recently reading about a Protestant organization that sends out missionaries to teach the faith to illiterate populations, making Bible translations for them and teaching them to read them. Do we have any programs like this in the Catholic Church?

Answer

Catholic missionaries have been traveling the globe for centuries educating other cultures about the Christian faith as well as all the other things needed for the improvement of people’s spiritual and physical lives. And they have, in fact, also provided Bibles when they can in the people’s own languages. But since we know that the word of God is also spoken, missionaries tell people about Christ first in word and action.

A logical outcome of the "Bible alone" theology is that everyone in the world must be able to read and have a Bible. But as Catholics we know that we can immediately begin to tell anyone who will listen about Jesus and invite them to repentance and baptism. They can lead a full Christian life in the Church even though they are illiterate. This is not to say that we should not strive to encourage literate societies, but being literate is not necessary for salvation, nor is owning a Bible.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

How do we answer the charges of hypocrisy in the midst of scandal?

How do we answer the charges of hypocrisy in the midst of scandal?

Full Question

How do I answer my Christian brethren not in full communion with the Church when they point out that our Church is becoming a hypocritical joke with all the scandals and abuses?

Answer

This is not the first time that the Church has had to deal with scandal and sin within its ranks; nor is the Church unique in this regard. Every church, every school, every human organization of any size faces similar issues. Moreover, we must always remember that the vast majority of bishops and priests are in no way involved in these scandals. There will always be saints and heroes as well as offenders and cowards in the Church, and a Church that has saints and heroes can never be dismissed as "a hypocritical joke."

There are a number of reasons why the Catholic Church is a prime target for abuse: It is large and unified; it keeps detailed records, whereas recurring problems are much harder to track in other churches; and it takes such an exalted moral stance on so many issues in a way that is threatening to many people who don’t want to look at the morality of their actions.

Even in the Old Testament, Israel, God’s chosen people, was often compared by the prophets to Sodom, Babylon, and other pagan nations. In fact, the prophets sometimes said that Israel was more wicked than these other nations. Yet they were still the chosen people, and their institutions, the Jerusalem Temple, the Levitical priesthood, the Davidic monarchy, the Law of Moses, were still divinely ordained.

Likewise, abuses and scandals within the Church can never undo Christ’s institution of the seven sacraments or his giving of the keys to Peter, the rock on which the Church was built.

That’s not to say we should be complacent. Scandals are a grave offense against God and an obstacle to the conversion of the world. But we shouldn’t allow scandals, however serious, to be used to intimidate us or prevent us from doing our duty to proclaim the truth of our faith.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

How could Enoch have been taken up into heaven before Jesus freed the souls in limbo?

How could Enoch have been taken up into heaven before Jesus freed the souls in limbo?

Full Question

How could Enoch have been taken up into heaven before Jesus died on the cross and brought every soul who ever lived from limbo to heaven?

Answer

First of all, Jesus didn’t take every soul who ever lived into heaven, only those who had died in God’s friendship, in the state of grace. Secondly, while it’s true that the Old Testament indicates that Enoch as well as Elijah were taken into heaven prior to the atonement and the harrowing of hell, it was still through the merits of Christ’s future passion and death that they were able to go there. Just as the Blessed Virgin was preserved from all stain of sin by the merits of Christ’s future passion applied to her at the time of her conception, in the same way God could bring Enoch and Elijah into heaven by the same future merits of Christ.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

How could a perfect God create man who is by nature sinful?

How could a perfect God create man who is by nature sinful?

Full Question

How could a perfect God create man who is by nature sinful? I know we all have free will, but why would not God create beings that are for the most part holy and not sinful?

Answer

Man was not created sinful by nature. God created man entirely holy and sinless. Our sinful condition is not the result of God’s creative work, but is a historical consequence of our abuse of free will. To say that God should have created us "for the most part holy and not sinful" fails to do justice to the true freedom and consequences of free will.

Free will means that even though our first parents were entirely sinless and enjoyed the life of original grace, they were still capable of choosing to be otherwise and forfeiting of the life of grace—and that’s just what they did. We, their offspring, are conceived and born bereft of this life, spiritually dead, in original sin. Even when we are spiritually reborn in baptism, we remain affected by concupiscence or tendencies toward sin as a result of having been conceived in original sin.

However, all of this is the result not of some defect in God’s creative work, but of the self-chosen circumstances into which our race fell in the very beginning.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

What does the phenomenon of women acting as shepherds for a parish flock bode for the role of women in the Church?

What does the phenomenon of women acting as shepherds for a parish flock bode for the role of women in the Church?

Full Question

A nun is currently the administrator of my parish, as is the case in numerous parishes around the country. What does this phenomenon of women acting as shepherds for a parish flock bode for the role of women in the Church?

Answer

An administrator takes care of the temporal needs of the parish, not the spiritual. The latter is primarily the duty of the ordained. The ordained are more appropriately referred to as shepherds, not the administrator.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

How do we explain the conflicting accounts of Judas' death in Matthew and Acts?

How do we explain the conflicting accounts of Judas' death in Matthew and Acts?

Full Question

Matthew 27:5 says that Judas hanged himself, while Peter says in Acts 1:18 that he fell and was disemboweled. How can we reconcile what appears to be an apparent contradiction?

Answer

There are two possible ways to reconcile the verses:

Luke’s purpose in Acts may have been simply to report what Peter said at a point in time when the apostles’ information on Judas’s death may well have been sketchy. After some of the Temple priests converted (cf. Acts 6:7), they may have given further details on Judas’s death that were later incorporated into the Gospel accounts.

It is also possible that after Judas hanged himself the rope broke and he fell onto rocks that disemboweled him postmortem. Matthew’s emphasis then would have been Judas’s actions in taking his own life, while Peter’s emphasis was on what happened to him after his suicide.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Is the priest "another Christ" when he says Holy Mass, hears confessions, etc.?

Is the priest "another Christ" when he says Holy Mass, hears confessions, etc.?

Answer

The Church teaches that the priest ministers in persona Christi, in the person of Christ. In speaking to his disciples, Jesus said, "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me" (Lk 10:16). "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (Jn 20:22–23).

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

Why wouldn't Jesus want the Pharisees and scribes to hear and understand him?

Why wouldn't Jesus want the Pharisees and scribes to hear and understand him?

Full Question

In Luke 8:10, Jesus says that he speaks in parables so that "seeing they (the Pharisees and scribes, I presume) may not see, and hearing they may not understand." Why wouldn't Jesus want them to look and see and to hear and understand?

Answer

God did not withhold grace so that the Pharisees and scribes could not understand; they put up barriers to God’s grace and thus were unable to understand.

God’s grace is offered to everyone, including the Pharisees and scribes. But Jesus knows that their disposition is such that they will not respond to God’s grace. (They don’t want to give up their sins; they don’t want a kingdom anywhere but here; they want to be in positions of power, not positions of service as Christ’s message commands.) Therefore, they will not be able to grasp the deeper meaning that the parables help the willing mind to understand.

So Jesus wants to teach those willing to hear what he has to say without revealing information to those who, through their unwillingness to understand it properly, might use the information against him and others who follow him. Christ says, "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you" (Mt 7:6).

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff

We need a bigger beach! - WYD-Rio

We need a bigger beach! 

THREE MILLION people pack Rio's Copacabana beach for final Mass of Pope Francis's tour of Brazil

Pilgrims cheer the Pope's call for them to get out in the streets to build up the Catholic church

'Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup!' he says, drawing applause from football-mad Brazilians

Many had spent all night on Copacabana beach in a vigil for World Youth Day

Presidents of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Suriname were all present for the Mass

By 

Mail Foreign Service 

PUBLISHED: 16:05 GMT, 28 July 2013 | UPDATED: 18:35 GMT, 28 July 2013 

Pope Francis has completed a historic trip to his home continent by celebrating mass to three million people on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach. 

The colossal crowds cheered the first Latin American pope in a remarkable response to his message that the Catholic Church must shake itself up and get out into the streets to find the faithful. 

Nuns mixed with bikini-clad young women as nearly the entire 2.5-mile crescent of Copacabana’s broad beach in Rio overflowed with people, some of them taking an early morning dip in the Atlantic and others tossing flags and football shirts into the pontiff’s open-sided car as he drove by. 

Description: Description: Pope Francis celebrates his final mass on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro

Preaching to the converted: Pope Francis celebrates his final mass on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, where his message that the Catholic Church must shake itself up and get out into the streets to find the faithful was met with cheers by the faithful 

Description: Once in a lifetime: Nuns mixed with bikini-clad young women as nearly the entire 2.5-mile crescent of Copacabana¿s broad beach in Rio overflowed with people

Description: Colossal crowds: Catholic pilgrims, many of them dressed in Brazil's national colours, watch as the Pope gives Mass

Description: Worshippers clutched rosary beads and prayer cards as they jostled for space on Copacabana Beach to hear the pontiff speak. Francis worked the crowd, kissing babies, taking a sip of mate tea handed up to him and catching gifts on the fly. Even the normally stern-faced Vatican bodyguards let smiles slip as they jogged alongside his car, caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd. Many of the crowd had spent the night on the beach, an all-night slumber party to end World Youth Day that had a festive Latin air, with pilgrims wrapped in flags and sleeping bags to ward off the cold.  

They danced, prayed and sang - and stood in long lines in front of the armadas of portable bathrooms along the beachfront. 'We were dying of cold but it was worth it,' said Lucrecia Grillera, an 18-year-old from Cordoba, Argentina, where Francis lived for a time before becoming pope. 

'It was a tiring day, but it was a great experience.

Description: Pope Francis blesses a child held aloft as he rides on the popemobile through the millions of people who had travelled from across Latin America to see him

Description: Security guards run to keep up with Pope Francis as he arrives for his final mass on Copacabana beach: He worked the crowd, kissing babies, taking a sip of mate tea handed up to him and catching gifts on the fly

Description: Francis smiles as he blesses the son of a policeman clutching a Brazilian flag: Many of the crowd had spent the night on the beach, an all-night slumber party to end World Youth Day that had a festive Latin air

Description: For posterity: Millions of pilgrims point the cameras at the religious leader to capture moment his motorcade swept past By morning, the beach and adjoining Atlantic Avenue looked like an improvised refugee camp plunked down in the middle of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Copacabana's famous mosaic sidewalks were strewn with trampled cardboard, plastic bags, empty water bottles and cookie wrappers and the stench of garbage and human waste hung in the humid air. Vendors hawking World Youth Day trinkets, t-shirts, hats and flags did brisk business as pilgrims snapped up souvenirs before heading home. Jehovah's Witnesses stood by stands stocked with pamphlets on 'What does the Bible really teach,' but they had few takers. 

Description: Flanked by members of the clergy, Pope Francis waved to the masses as the World Youth Day celebrations came to an end

Description: 21st Century pilgrims: As they awaited Pope Francis's arrival, pilgrims danced, prayed and sang - and stood in long lines in front of the armadas of portable bathrooms along the beachfront

Description: Warmly dressed: A pilgrim wakes up after a night of vigil on Copacabana beach. The Vatican said more than three million people were on hand for the Mass, based on information from World Youth Day organisers and local authorities

Description: Crowds pack the beach as the pope's motorcade makes its way

Many of those at the vigil had tears in their eyes as they listened to Francis call for them to not be 'part-time Christians' and to build up their church like his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, was called to do

Description: A special day: Priests wait for the arrival of Pope Francis for the final mass of his visit. The Pope was set to return to Rome tonight after a week-long trip. The Vatican said more than three million people were on hand for the Mass, based on information from World Youth Day organisers and local authorities. 

Not all of them were paying attention to the Mass: children posed for random photos with people holding flags, snoozed and packed up their makeshift camps. Finding food was a core concern, with long lines of bedraggled pilgrims snaking out of cafes and ice cream vendors mobbed by youths starved for breakfast. 

The presidents of Brazil, Francis' native Argentina, Bolivia and Suriname were on hand for the Mass, as were the vice presidents of Uruguay and Panama.

Description: Nuns joined the beachfront vigil led by Pope Francis for the 28th World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, with many of the three million-strong crowd staying put for mass

Description: Pilgrims unfold a huge image of Pope Francis: Vendors hawking World Youth Day trinkets, t-shirts, hats and flags did brisk business as pilgrims snapped up souvenirs before heading home

Description: A faithful continent: Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, left, Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez, centre, and Bolivia's President Evo Morales, attend the Mass on Copacabana beach

Description: Many spent the night on the beach, an all-night slumber party to end the Catholic youth festival, with pilgrims wrapped in flags and sleeping bags to ward off the cold

Description: Pope Francis blesses a family of four, the parents dressed in Brazil football shirts, during the final Mass: One pilgrim who was on Copacabana beach to experience the spiritual event called it 'marvellous'

Description: Even the animals came... A stray dog walks down the stairs of the altar as Pope Francis (not seen) celebrates his final mass on Copacabana Beach

Many of those at the vigil had tears in their eyes as they listened to Francis’ call for them to not be 'part-time Christians' and to build up their church like his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, was called to do. 

'Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup!' Francis said, drawing cheers from the crowd in this football-mad nation. He urged young Catholics to go out and spread their faith 'to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent.' 

'The church needs you, your enthusiasm, your creativity and the joy that is so characteristic of you!' he said to applause. The Pope was set to return to Rome tonight after a week-long trip, once he had met the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean and held a thank-you audience with some of the 60,000 volunteers who organised the youth festival. 'It was such an excellent week, everybody was in such good spirit, you could just feel a sense of peace,' said Denise da Silva, a Rio de Janeiro Catholic who was sitting alone on the beach Sunday morning, a Brazilian flag painted on her face. 

Description: Incredible sight: A man reaches out of the window of a glass-fronted hotel to take a photo of the millions of Catholics gathered to see Pope Francis's final mass of trip to Brazil

A series of giant screens allowed the throng, many of whom had camped overnight, to see the distant Pope Francis up close 

Description: A bishop whipped out his camera to take a picture of the astounding scenes at Copacabana beach ahead of Sunday afternoon mass

Description: A flag celebrating Krakow flew above the crowds following Francis's announcement that the next World Youth Day would be held in the Polish city

Description: Popeacabana: The millions of worshippers turned out to welcome the first Latin American pontiff home on his first overseas trip as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church

'I have never seen something here in Rio so marvelous as what we have just lived.'