Ask a Franciscan

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 ...

Is it a sin to place a bet on a horse race? What about lotteries or betting on sports contests? What does the Catholic Church think about playing slot machines? At times it seems that the Church opposes gambling, but ...

If God is all-powerful and all-good, why does evil exist?

Why aren’t the corporal works of mercy the focus of an examination of conscience before receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

I was surprised to read in an earlier “Ask” column that John the Apostle did not write the Gospel of John. Who did? We are not entirely sure. First, I should point out that only around the year AD 125 ...

I know that words often have a root meaning. For example, our word sacrament comes from the Latin word sacramentum, which I know St. Augustine described as “an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.” In preparing for a ...