Ask a Franciscan

Painting of hell

Is Purgatory in the Bible? 

December 17, 2024
Why do Catholics teach that purgatory exists? I can’t find it in my Bible. 
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Illustration of the holy Eucharist

Why Closed Communion?

April 22, 2024
I am in the process of becoming a Catholic but am having difficulty accepting closed Communion.
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Illustration of Pope Francis

Does Pope Francis Believe in Hell?

March 25, 2024
During a recent interview, Pope Francis raised the possibility that no one is in hell. Really? If so, doesn’t that mean, “Anything goes”?  In his January 20 “Letter from Rome” for La Croix International’s e-newsletter, Robert Mickens wrote that the ...
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Painting of Bartolomé de las Casas

Admitting Gross Historical Injustices

February 23, 2024
Call it tribalism, but I’ve always cast a skeptical eye on the Dominicans ever since I learned about their role in the Inquisition. Do you have any advice for thinking about historical misdeeds?
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sperm meets the egg

Is Egg Donation Morally Acceptable?

January 25, 2024
A family member is giving her frozen eggs to women who can’t conceive. If we are to preserve human life in all its forms, shouldn’t these eggs be given a chance to live?
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Bishops pray at the start of a session of the Synod of Bishops on Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment at the Vatican Oct. 9, 2018. (OSV News file photo/Paul Haring, CNS)

What Follows the October 2023 Synod?

September 25, 2023
What happens after this four-week meeting during which many diverse viewpoints have been expressed? How will the process work? Will the results wind up in a binder gathering dust?
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IVs in a hospital | Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash

What If a Pope Becomes Comatose?

August 24, 2023
When I heard that Pope Francis was undergoing surgery requiring general anesthesia, I wondered who would be in charge of the Church while he was incapacitated.
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Do you have a question for Father Pat McCloskey, OFM? The author of St. Anthony Messenger’s popular “Ask a Franciscan” column is ready to answer your toughest questions!

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