Questions tagged [catholicism]
The Catholic Church and its teachings and views on specific subjects.
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How are Catholic priests chosen and assigned to specific parishes?
I know that a certain amount of education is necessary before men can be ordained as a Catholic priest. But are all men that received the necessary education ordained as priests? If not, what is the ...
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How does intercession of saints and Exodus 20:3 not clash? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Praying to people outside the Trinity
There are several denominations and traditions that believe in the doctrine of intercession of the saints.
Exodus 20:3 (NIV)
You ...
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Should Catholics silently hum the Tetragrammaton when they're supposed to sing it?'
I was telling the kids in my Catechism class yesterday that we don't pronounce God's name anymore in hymns during Mass. They were a tad taken aback, especially since apparently they're supposed to ...
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What is the purpose and basis of the stigmata?
The stigmata is sores or wounds in the places that Jesus suffered wounds during the crucifixion. That's about as much as I know.
My questions, to be answered from a Catholic perspective:
What's the ...
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Why does Vatican require "Yahweh" not to be used?
This news article by Catholic News Service tells of the removal of the Tetragrammaton from Catholic masses.
"Yahweh" -- a name of God that the Vatican has ruled must not "be used or pronounced" in ...
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Where can I learn about Catholic terms and phrases?
A number of very good questions and answers on this site refer to specifically Catholic doctrine or terminology. I've been one to ask for clarification on these terms at times, however I think it's ...
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Is Communion still Communion under only the species of wine?
I was reading in the Youcat that
Communion only under the species of bread is also a full communion with Christ
I was always under the impression that both the bread and the wine when consecrated ...
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What does it mean that John's Gospel does not have an account of the institution of the Eucharist?
I'm preparing a class on the institution of the Eucharist and my text says
"The Gospel of John includes no mention of the institution of the Eucharist"
it goes on to give the account, for reasons ...
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What is the reason to genuflect when the Incarnation is mentioned?
At Mass during the recitation of the Nicene Creed and when praying the Angelus, it is common (or required?) for the congregation to bow or genuflect (bend one knee) during these lines:
For us men and ...
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Why does Catholicism have priests but Protestantism does not?
The Catholic Church (and apparently Lutheran, Anglican and Episcopalian churches) have clergy with the title of "priest", as did Old Testament Judaism. Are Protestant "preachers", "reverends", "...
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How did the Crusades impact modern Christianity? [closed]
How do the crusades impact modern day Christianity own sense of morality and spirituality? What do these things mean to a person of faith?
The Crusades, from Wikipedia
The Crusades were a series ...
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Have any real people been de-canonized?
People can be canonized (declared to be saints) and these official declarations are held to be infallible. Some people might be considered saints because of popular devotion, without being actually ...
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What is masturbation, according to the Catholic Catechism?
By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure.
CCC 2352
So does this mean I need to buy extra gold bond medicated powder to ...
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What is the Catholic stance on Embryo Screening?
Embryo Screening is the process of fertilizing multiple eggs, checking their DNA makeup, and then screening out the eggs that do not meet the requirements. These requirements can be anything from ...
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What is the Catholic stance against In Vitro Fertilization?
I was researching a different question and saw that some people find that In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is something that should be avoided on the basis of religious grounds.
Does anyone know what ...
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What is the official Roman Catholic opinion on Swedenborg?
What is the official opinion of the Catholic Church on works of Emanuel Swedenborg, especially Heaven and Hell?
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Should praying the Liturgy of the Hours in private be out loud or silent?
For the laity, when praying the Liturgy of the Hours in private, is it more in keeping with tradition to you pray out loud or silently or does it matter?
Also, do you change the way you repeat ...
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When did the split in crufix/empty-cross sybolism occur and why did it happen?
Today, we have Catholic and Orthodox churches (and a few others) using the crucifix, whereas most Protestant denominations use an empty cross in their symbolism. Did this difference in symbolism arise ...
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List of papal teachings considered infallible
After reading When does the Pope speak ex cathedra? I became curious and searched for a list of statements, but couldn't find one.
Does such list exist and if not, why is this the case?
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What is the Little Office of Our Lady in connection to the Scapular Devotion?
This is particularly confusing and the wikipedia entry is not helpful. I've worn a scapular since going to World Youth Day in 2005, but I've never asked a priest to consecrate my devotion. The ...
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Why did G.K. Chesterton convert to Catholicism?
G.K. Chesterton is one of my favorite authors. On a lot of subjects, his way of looking at things really astonishes me. He can still show things in a fresh perspective, though his books are about a ...
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How can a particular trade of modern times get a patron saint?
In days of yore, tradesman and guilds had patron saints. These days patrons seem to only be attributed to profession in vague ways via papal declaration (i.e. St. John Vianney is the Patron of all ...
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Why didn't C.S. Lewis convert to Catholicism?
This might seem like a weird question if you're a Protestant and really like C.S. Lewis. But as a Catholic, I don't see him as ever espousing particularly non-Catholic positions, and he is very well ...
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What is transubstantiation?
According to Wikipedia:
When at his Last Supper, Jesus said: "This is my body", what he held in his hands still had all the appearances of bread: these "accidents" remained unchanged. However, the ...
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In which other churches do Roman Catholics recognize apostolic succession?
The Roman Catholic Church derives much of its claim to legitimacy from the teaching of "apostolic succession". Other churches also believe that their priests derive their authority in an unbroken ...
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Is Metatron actually part of Catholic dogma?
Metatron is believed by some to be Enoch transformed into an angel. Some time ago on chat someone said that he is part of official Catholic dogma. However, I couldn't really confirm this with a ...
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How do Catholics reconcile Christ's intercessory prayer with the doctrine of the Trinity?
John 10:30 (KJV) is often quoted to support the doctrine of the Trinity:
30 I and my Father are one.
But during the great intercessory prayer, Christ asks God for his disciples to also be one ...
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How do Roman Catholics understand salvation in light of Romans 3&4?
As far as I can understand it, Paul directly contradicts the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation in Romans 3 & 4 (see verses 3:21-22, 3:28, 4:4-6 in particular, but I'm referring to the broad ...
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What is the argument for papal succession?
First off, I do not mean for this question to sound as an attack on the Catholic Church. I would like to know the stance of the church regarding this.
I found this resource, which documents the ...
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What effect did the Reformation have inside the Catholic Church?
I confess my knowledge of church history branches at about the Reformation. I know a quite a bit about Catholicism today, and I have an idea of what it was before the Reformation. These are not at all ...
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Do Catholics refer to all martyrs as Saints?
At first I was thinking the only requirement to be canonized was to be killed for your faith. Is this accurate? How is someone deemed a Saint as opposed to a martyr in Catholicism?
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When does the Pope speak ex cathedra?
The Catholic Church considers the Pope infallible, but only in limited circumstances. The Pope is a human being like the rest of us, and capable of sinning. However, when the Pope speaks ex cathedra, ...
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What's the origin of the Catholic object that is a staff with a crucifix on top?
Like I asked in the title, what's the name and origin of a staff with a crucifix on top? Like the one depicted in the picture.
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What is the scriptural basis for clerical celibacy?
In the Catholic Church, priests are required to stay celibate. (As far as I know, protestant priests that convert to Catholicism are allowed an exception -- they can become Catholic priests even if ...
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According to Roman Catholicism, how old will our resurrection bodies be?
How is the resurrection of the body supposed to work in Catholicism? For example, if I die at 90, will I resurrect with the body of an old man? What about babies—will they simply resurrect as very ...
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What criteria do Catholics use to determine if an old testament character prefigures Mary?
I was at a Catechetical training seminar in my parish and the presenter on topic of the creed when touching on the Blessed Virgin Mary said that lots and lots of characters prefigure Mary in the old ...
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What does the Catholic church teach about fate of non-Catholic christians?
From what I've heard, The Roman Catholic Church claims to be the only representative authority of God on Earth. Does it indeed claim that, and if so what does it say happens to members of non-Catholic ...
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Why was Thomas More canonized?
Thomas More was canonized in 1935 by the Catholic Church. During his chancellorship between 1525-1529 in the campaign against the reformation people were killed and tortured in his name, for example, ...
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Why do Catholics put so much faith in the Virgin Mary?
I'm not sure how to express the relationship that Catholics have with the Virgin Mary, so please excuse the word "faith" in the question title.
Giving Mary praise
I understand that Mary gave birth ...
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What are the consequences of suicide according to the Roman Catholic church?
What are the consequences of suicide according to the Roman Catholic church? Are there exceptions or special penalties?
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What is the purpose of a Rosary?
I am not Catholic and I am pretty sure the Rosary is mainly a Catholic artifact, and in modern times devout Catholics seem to always have a Rosary (as in, you know they're Catholic because of the ...
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What exactly is a "Hail Mary"?
The practice of a saying a "Hail Mary" is often referred to in colloquial speech, sometimes as a way to caricaturize Catholics. References to the practice instantly conjure up images of Catholicism, ...
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Why are there Sibyls and Prophetesses in the Sistine Chapel?
For what purpose did Michelangelo add each Sibyls or Prophetesses to the ceiling of the Sistine chapel?
This is an explanation to why they're there in the first place.
The latter, although belonging ...
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What are the differences between Roman Catholic and Irish Catholic?
I've heard the terms Roman Catholic and Irish Catholic since I was little, but I have never understood what, if any, are the differences between the two. Why the differentiation of the two? What ...
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What is the Biblical support for Purgatory?
Exactly as the title asks; where do Catholics get their Scriptural support for the idea of Purgatory? To be more specific, how I think of Purgatory (which may be incorrect) is that it's a temporary ...
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Why did Jesus use bread to turn into His body? [closed]
In the Catholic church you have communion, in which you receive the body and blood of Christ in the form of bread and wine. Why do bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, rather than ...
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If you are forgiven through the Grace of God, why do you need an Indulgence?
Ephesians 2:8,9 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
And from Wikipedia's ...
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As a protestant, may I participate in the Eucharist (Communion) when visiting a Catholic church?
I think the title sums it up. I'm a protestant Christian, and have many Catholic friends. When I visit their churches, is it permissible for me to participate in the Eucharist/Communion ceremony by ...
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How is "Veneration" similar or different from "Adoration"?
Most Catholics teach about honoring the saints, and mostly about "venerating" the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Though in my country (I'm from the Philippines), the line between honoring saints / Mary and the ...
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How should I understand the emphasis on "begotten, not made" in the Nicene Creed?
I'm trying to understand the importance the repetition of "begotten" in the Nicene creed. It states (emphasis mine):
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
...
user72