Pat McCloskey, OFM

According to your Saint of the Day online entry for September 2 (John Francis Burt Ž and three other Franciscans), these priests were martyred for their faith because they refused to swear allegiance to the “Civil Constitution of the Clergy. ” I think it’s a gross exaggeration to say that Constitution was an attack on the Catholic faith. I see it as more an attack on the papacy and having more to do with politics than with faith.

Two family members have been asked to be godparents for a Baptism in the Russian Orthodox Church. Does the Catholic Church permit this?

It is not a problem as far as the Catholic Church is concerned, but the Russian Orthodox Church may see it differently; their practice on this needs to be respected.

We have been told for years that Jesus died to save all people. In the Mass, we are told that he came to save “many. ” Which is correct?

Sometimes at night I cry about my own death and the afterlife. At 17, I don’t want to make wrong choices (especially about chastity). Why am I so worried about death and the afterlife?

Thanks for writing. I hope you find this reply helpful. As someone who taught high school students for 16 years full-time and three more years part-time, I appreciate that you find death scary. At age 71, I’m probably closer to death than you are.

I am the only practicing Catholic in my family of birth and my husband’s. My only nephew may soon “come out ” to our overseas family about his homosexuality and same-sex relationship. We will be visiting his family soon. How do I respond if my nephew asks me directly how I feel about his sexual orientation and same-sex marriage? I want to be true to my faith and still be a loving aunt without appearing to condone his lifestyle.

He will always be your nephew, a man created and loved by God. His “coming out ” does not change that.