A reader asks Monsignor Pope this week, "Why do some Protestants treat drinking, smoking and gambling as the epitome of sin?" Monsignor answers that this mindset was likely a result of the American struggle with ...
Question: I am having a disagreement with a friend. She says masturbation is a mortal sin. I say it is not. Who is right? — Name, location withheld Answer: When we speak of a sin ...
Is teasing a sin against the Fifth (thou shall not kill and thou shall not harm) Commandment? Maybe. And to further clarify: sometimes. So what is teasing, what is sinning, and where's the line? In ...
Question: In a recent response you wrote that sin darkens the intellect. How and why does this happen? — Peter Tate, Long Beach, California Answer: We have all had the experience of being in a ...
Question: Can our pets love us? — Paul VanHoudt, Erie, Colorado Answer: No, our pets cannot love us in any human sense of the word. Love requires freedom and a rational soul. It is clear ...
Question: I have a friend who says she is leaving the Catholic Church because of the new sexual abuse scandals. What can I say to convince her to stay? — Name withheld Answer: Begin with ...
Question: Why does society in general, and religion in particular, refer to sins of the flesh as “immoral”? Is this not rather vague? Idolatry, blasphemy, murder and perjury are also immoral. What gives? — Lawrence ...
Question: I was trying to instruct someone that masturbation is wrong. And when I went to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it did say masturbation is “intrinsically and gravely disordered.” But then it says ...
Question: I am a bit confused about the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s treatment of acedia. What does the Catechism mean to teach by this sin? And how is it related to joy? — Inigo ...
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 ...
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