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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?
There seems to be a push to return to the Latin Mass and all its implications. Our parish has become very divided when this was imposed on us with refusal of Communion in the hand, reintroduction of Communion rails, and traditional hymns replaced by Latin ones. Our bishop seems to favor these changes. People are leaving our parish.
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.
My wife and I do not feel comfortable discussing this with our parish priest and hope you can provide some guidance. As cradle Catholics, we find it very difficult to continue in our Catholic faith because of repeated reports of abuse of children by pedophile priests. Despite these reports, there is no definitive action mostly lip service. Pope Francis should declare these behaviors unacceptable and inconsistent with Christ’s teachings.
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.
Jesus respected the diverse backgrounds of his listeners. Today the Catholic Church is embracing a much wider range of cultures.
