Msgr. Charles Pope is the pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian in Washington, D.C., and writes for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. at blog.adw.org. Send questions to msgrpope@osv.com.
How many Masses a day are priests allowed to celebrate? In his latest column, Monsignor Charles Pope explains that, while Canon Law states that priests can only celebrate the Eucharist once a day, it makes exceptions for when pastorally necessary, which has
A reader asks: “If God knew Judas would betray Jesus, why did God create him, and why did Jesus choose him as an apostle?” In his latest column, Monsignor Charles Pope explains that the answer reveals God’s design of giving us free
A reader shares that many of his family members who were raised and educated in the Faith are now no longer practicing devoutly. He explains that they think it is OK to miss Mass and still receive Communion without first going to
In the Bible, God tells the Israelites that they must observe certains feasts “throughout your generations as a statute forever.” A reader writes, “I know that Jesus ushered in the New Covenant that superseded the Old Covenant, but the words of God
A reader asks, “Why is it that many Catholics single out a raft of sexuality-related or so-called sanctity of life violations as being the only ones that disqualify one from receiving holy Communion?” In his latest column, Monsignor Charles Pope explains that
A reader asks Monsignor Charles Pope whether pro-abortion Catholic politicians should be excommunicated, like non-conforming and heretical Catholic leaders of the past, including King Henry VIII, Martin Luther, Napoleon Bonaparte and Fidel Castro. In his latest column, Monsignor Pope explains that formal
A reader asks: How can you love someone you don’t know or someone you hate? Monsignor Charles Pope explains that “to love is to will or want the good of the other. This does not require me to personally know or have
A reader asks, “What is the proper Church protocol if someone accidentally drops the Eucharist?” In his weekly column, Monsignor Charles Pope answers this question. He writes: “If the sacred host falls to the floor, the person or the priest should retrieve
A reader writes to Monsignor Charles Pope about a friend who doesn’t believe Jesus rose from the dead. Monsignor Pope shares some ideas on how to explain our belief in the Resurrection. In short, the witness of the apostles — which led
A reader asks for clarity whether people can earn their way into heaven. In his response, Monsignor Charles Pope explains: “We cannot earn salvation. We are saved by the grace of faith working through love. … The central problem with the faith