As the controversy over President Barack Obama administration’s January directive to religious institutions to pay for employees’ contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs was heating up, Michael Gerson — a conservative columnist frequently friendly to the ...
Question: Do you think that since the Second Vatican Council there has developed confusion between the roles of laity and clergy in the Church? Some commentators seem to think so. Now we have lay ministers ...
Question: I am married to a nonpracticing Episcopalian and while we agree on most matters of faith, we disagree over purgatory. Your columns have been helpful to him. Can you clarify where Episcopalians stand on ...
The Church strongly urges that Catholics have recourse to confession for all sins — mortal or not Question: I know that the Church urges frequent confession. But what if one has no mortal sins to ...
Question: I am confused about the difference between the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and “last rites.” When I was growing up, they were the same. My husband has terminal cancer. When he ...
Question: Recently I attended a catechetical conference in our diocese and the speaker would not answer “yes” when I asked him if Christ instituted all the sacraments. He skirted the matter and would only give ...
Question: I work with some people who are not Catholic, who are trying to get me to go to a “Walk to Emmaus.” It appears like a pep rally for Christ. What is this ...
Question: What is your opinion on using feminine pronouns for God? I have found these pronouns used even by relatively conservative Catholic authors. However, I find them distracting and detracting. — Name withheld, Milwaukee, Wis. ...
