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.
A reader recently saw some confusing headlines regarding indulgences. “I saw the following headline today in an English newspaper: “Vatican Offers ‘Time-off’ purgatory to followers of Pope Francis’ Tweets.” A second headline says further: “Papal Court handling pardon for sins says contrite
As Catholics, we acknowledge the reality of purgatory and how it applies to our final acceptance into everlasting life in heaven. However, does this occur upon our first judgment day before Christ (who sentences us for an undetermined duration), and then once
A reader asks: “The Gospels frequently speak critically of the scribes and the Pharisees. I have an understanding of who the Pharisees were, but who were the scribes?” In his latest column, Monsignor Charles Pope explains that the Scribes in Jesus’s time
Why did the women go to the tomb of Jesus to anoint his body, knowing the tomb was sealed with a stone too heavy for them to move? In his latest column, Monsignor Charles Pope explains what likely happened. He writes: “The
A reader asks: “Why did the demons possessing the men among the Gadarenes ask Our Lord Jesus to send them to the nearby swine? Was it because they want to leave on their own terms? If so, why did Jesus allow them
A reader writes: “My daughter is 12 years old and has not received the Eucharistic but was baptized as an infant. Recently, I found out that she watched a porn video on the internet. I feel so sad. I want to find
A reader writes: “A friend told me that a mystic claimed the birthday of Our Lady is not Sept. 8. I told her that Sept. 8 is nine months after her Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, to which she countered that that
A reader asks: “What of children who die in the womb or of babies and young children who die before baptism? Can we suppose that they are in heaven?” While the Scriptures do not address such a matter, and God has not
A reader writes: I have been reading St. Faustina’s diary and have been saying the novena of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for some years now. When saying these prayers, I always wonder why we need to pray for meek and humble
A reader asks: “In Mark 16:15, Jesus says ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.’ Why the word ‘creature’? Was this a foreshadowing of St. Francis who preached to birds? Please explain this term.” Monsignor Charles Pope