Ask a Franciscan

Why does the Roman Catholic Church call itself that? Jesus stood against everything that the Roman Empire represented—the power, the might and the violence. Rome figured mightily in his death on the cross.

Years ago in parochial school, I recall that we were told that the Douay-Rheims version was the only one that we were allowed to read. The teacher even said that reading any “Protestant” Bible, especially the King James Version, was ...

What is the basis of the Church’s authority to grant indulgences? Our Lord did not mention indulgences specifically to my knowledge.

What difference is there between a monk, a friar, and a brother? Also, members of religious communities place initials after their family name to indicate the community to which they belong. Where can I find a list of those initials?

I am very interested in angels but haven’t been able to find information about how many categories there are.

When are we to take Scripture literally and when should we not?