Tag: apologetics

What Is the Church?

I quoted St. Francis De Sales’ Catholic Controversies last week for his argument from history. Basically: We know Christ established one core set of beliefs in his Church, and entrusted the Holy Spirit to guard that Truth; Since two Persons of the Holy Trinity are actively protecting these beliefs, we should find them continually proclaimed;… Continue reading What Is the Church?

What the Bible Says on Divorce and Annulments

I had lunch with a couple of Catholic friends when my friend Neal talked about how his Protestant in-laws had been pressing him for the Biblical basis for annulments. Since I’ve addressed that, and similar, issues here, I figured I’d e-mail him a summary of the Biblical evidence. Here’s the e-mail: Neal and Kevin,Here are… Continue reading What the Bible Says on Divorce and Annulments

Infant Baptisms in Mixed Marriages

Ryan asked of my Friday post about the Reyes case, How was he able have the child baptized if his wife/ex-wife/estranged wife would not agree to the baptism. I thought the Church would not baptize the children of mixed marriages without the permission of the non-Catholic party. No. Canon law is actually incredibly clear on… Continue reading Infant Baptisms in Mixed Marriages

Invalid v. Illicit Ordinations

The Catholic Church refers to some things as “valid but illicit” (such as the SSPX’s decision to ordain priests without prior permission from the pope), and other things as “invalid” (such as women’s ordination). For this post, I chose ordination, specifically, but what I’m saying here applies to everything considered “valid but illicit” v. “invalid.”… Continue reading Invalid v. Illicit Ordinations

Edgardo Mortara, Revisited

In the Papal States in 1852, a teenaged Catholic housekeeper named Anna Morisi baptized a seriously ill Jewish baby who she feared would soon die. In fact, that child, Edgardo Mortara, quickly recovered, but was now a baptized Catholic. Unfortuantely, Mortara’s parents were Jewish, and under civil law in the Papal States, were forbidden to… Continue reading Edgardo Mortara, Revisited

This Rock

An earlier post by Joe describes the Catholic understanding of Matthew 16:18. Something that is not taken into account enough when discussing this verse is the location in which it was uttered. After a pilgrimage in the Holy Land a couple years ago, I can’t hear this verse without the tremendous geological and cultural backdrop… Continue reading This Rock

Funny Clip About Pope Benedict

Is it one of the most over-used Internet phenomenon? Yes. Is it still hilarious? Also yes. Plus, how can I pass up a video which, in under 4 minutes, summarizes what I’ve taken a year to say about Pope Benedict, National Catholic Reporter, the new Mass translation, the Pope’s ecumenical outreach to the Anglicans, the… Continue reading Funny Clip About Pope Benedict