Ask a Franciscan
Do Declarations of Nullity Create Illegitimacy?
My son and my daughter-in-law are divorced and remarried. They are considering seeking declarations of nullity for their first marriages. A priest they consulted said that annulments do not make children from that marriage illegitimate. Is that what the Catholic Church teaches?
Why Was Pope John XXIII's Feast Moved
When Pope John XXIII was beatified in 2000, the date assigned for his feast was October 11, the day that Vatican II began in 1962. The feast has since been moved to June 3, the day he died in 1963. ...
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How Could Jesus ‘Be Sin’?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that God made “him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (602). What does this mean? How can the Son of ...
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What Do All Those Initials Mean?
Your November 2010 issue included the following abbreviations after the names of priests, brothers or sisters: O.F.M., F.S.P., T.O.R., O.S.B. and O.S.F. Where can I find out what these represent?
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Too Many Clergy Among Canonized Saints?
Who was the last saint canonized who was not a member of the clergy? Are only Catholics recognized as saints? Can a non-Christian become a saint?
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Why Is Abraham So Important?
In a prayer to the Archangel Michael, we ask him at the hour of our death to carry us to the bosom of Abraham. Is Abraham more important than all the saints?
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Why Is Jerusalem Called a Woman?
In Isaiah 40:2, God tells the prophet: “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated. Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her ...
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