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Q u i c k Q u e s t i o n s
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This Rock
Volume 19, Number 7
 September 2008 
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When Popes Disagree, Who’s Right?
Q: If a pope gives a statement on an issue that is the complete opposite of that of a past pope, which of them is correct?
A: First, we must determine whether it is a matter of doctrine or morals. If it is not, popes are free to disagree with each other. If it is, we must determine if one or both of the popes is speaking merely as a private theologian. If one of them was speaking definitively in his capacity as pope, then the presumption of correctness would go to him.
We must also consider the possibility that what appears to be a contradiction between past and present popes may not be. Popes can state the same truth in a variety of ways without contradicting each other. There may also be theological development that will give nuances to earlier doctrinal pronouncements.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Was Jesus "forsaken" momentarily by the Father on the cross? If so, then are we saying that the Trinity was momentarily split? If Jesus was not forsaken by the Father, then what really caused Jesus such agony in the garden?
A: Jesus was not forsaken by the Father on the cross. He was reciting Psalm 22 about himself: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It goes on: "I can count every one of my bones. These people stare at me and gloat; they divide my clothing among them. They cast lots for my robe." It is most important to realize that Jesus has a human and divine nature. It was his human nature that suffered and died, not his divine nature.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Do the indulgences granted for praying the rosary require that all of the mysteries are prayed, or are five decades considered a complete rosary?
A: Only five decades of the rosary are necessary for gaining a partial or plenary indulgence. The Handbook of Indulgences states:
A plenary indulgence is granted when the rosary is recited in a church or oratory or when it is recited in a family, a religious community, or a pious association. A partial indulgence is granted for its recitation in all other circumstances.
It has become customary to call [one set of mysteries] the "rosary" also. Concerning this customary usage then, the following norms are given regards a plenary indulgence.
- The recitation of [one set of mysteries] is sufficient for obtaining the plenary indulgence, but these five decades must be recited without interruption.
- Devout meditation on the mysteries is to be added to the vocal prayer.
- In its public recitation the mysteries must be announced in accord with approved local custom, but in its private recitation it is sufficient for the Christian faithful simply to join meditation on the mysteries to the vocal prayer.
- In the Eastern Churches where recitation of the Marian rosary as a devotional practice is not found, the patriarchs can establish other prayers in honor of the blessed Virgin Mary which will have the same indulgences as those attached to the rosary, (e.g., in the Byzantine churches, the Akathist hymn, or the office Paraclisis). (79-80)
Keep in mind canon law concerning gaining indulgences:
To be capable of gaining indulgences, a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the end of the prescribed works. To gain indulgences, however, a capable subject must have at least the general intention of acquiring them and must fulfill the enjoined works in the established time and the proper method, according to the tenor of the grant. (CIC 996 §1-2)
For additional information, see Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Constitution on Indulgences (Indulgentiarum Doctrina) , available at www.vatican.com.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: I’ve always wondered why we genuflect at Mass. What does it mean and when should we do it?
A: According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, "A genuflection, made by bending the right knee to the ground, signifies adoration, and therefore it is reserved for the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as for the Holy Cross from the solemn adoration during the liturgical celebration on Good Friday until the beginning of the Easter Vigil" (274).
—Peggy Frye
Q: How do we know that the pope can make an infallible statement concerning doctrine? Has this ever been infallibly defined?
A: Papal infallibility was bestowed on Peter and his successors by Christ. We find evidence of this in Scripture. For example, Jesus told Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren" (Luke 22:31-32). "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:18-19).
Early Christians understood Christ’s teaching on the primacy of the pope, which involved papal infallibility. But the doctrine of papal infallibility was not infallibly defined until the First Vatican Council, as it was not necessary to formally define it until it was disputed. (Infallible pronouncements are usually made only when a doctrine has been challenged.)
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Law enforcement sometimes uses people with clairvoyance to help solve crimes. Is this wrong?
A: If someone is supernaturally given information he has not sought out, it is generally permissible to use it for the benefit of others, assuming there is just cause to do so (e.g., solving a crime). But if someone is deliberately seeking out occult contact with the supernatural realm—or hiring someone else to do it—that is forbidden by the Church (CCC 2116). In this case, that would mean that law enforcement agencies legitimately could use information brought to them by someone who claims to have been given the information through supernatural means, but, from a moral standpoint, such agencies should not hire "psychic detectives" to seek out information through occult means.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: When did the Church come up with the doctrine that each species contains both the body and the blood of Christ?
A: The Church has always taught that each species contains both the body and blood of Christ. This dogma was reaffirmed at the Council of Trent:
Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation. (Denzinger-Schönmetzer, 1642)
The document "Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America" states:
It should never be construed, therefore, that Communion under the form of bread alone or Communion under the form of wine alone is somehow an incomplete act or that Christ is not fully present to the communicant. The Church’s unchanging teaching from the time of the Fathers through the ages—notably in the ecumenical councils of Lateran IV, Constance, Florence, Trent, and Vatican II—has witnessed to a constant unity of faith in the presence of Christ in both elements.
Even in the earliest days of the Church’s life, when Communion under both species was the norm, there were always instances when the Eucharist was received under only the form of bread or wine. . . . Thus, the Church has always taught the doctrine of concomitance, by which we know that under each species alone, the whole Christ is sacramentally present and we receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace. (15)
—Peggy Frye
Q: I am a Protestant overwhelmed by the guilt of sin. Is it permissible for me to confess my sins to a priest? I think that I would stay more focused on staying closer to the Lord if I were accountable to a mature Christian.
A: Catholics do not primarily go to confession to stay focused, though the sacrament can help in this way. We go to confession because we believe that our sins are absolutely forgiven by Christ’s absolution given through the ministry of the priest. When Jesus breathed on his apostles and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained" (John 20:22-24), we believe that he literally meant that.
If you believe this also, then perhaps you need to be a Catholic. To believe that a Catholic priest has the power to forgive sin when one’s own minister does not suggests that one is acknowledging some faith in the Catholic Church. Maybe you are closer to becoming one than you think. As it stands, one must hold the teachings of the Catholic Church to partake of its sacraments.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Would you tell me how the Church determined that the age of reason is seven years old and this as the age to receive First Holy Communion?
A: The Church does not define the age of reason as seven years old. Rather, the Church does not obligate Catholics under the age of seven to observe laws which are merely ecclesiastical. Even once the age of seven is attained, children who do not possess the use of reason generally are not bound. Code of Canon Law states, "Merely ecclesiastical laws bind those who have been baptized in the Catholic Church or received into it, possess the efficient use of reason, and, unless the law expressly provides otherwise, have completed seven years of age" (CIC 11).
In the case of First Communion, there is no age restriction. The Church simply requires that children possess the use of reason, know and understand what the Eucharist is, and are properly disposed. Canon law states,
The administration of the Most Holy Eucharist to children requires that they have sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so that they understand the mystery of Christ according to their capacity and are able to receive the body of Christ with faith and devotion. (CIC 913 §1)
It is primarily the duty of parents and those who take the place of parents, as well as the duty of pastors, to take care that children who have reached the use of reason are prepared properly and, after they have made sacramental confession, are refreshed with this divine food as soon as possible. It is for the pastor to exercise vigilance so that children who have not attained the use of reason or whom he judges are not sufficiently disposed do not approach Holy Communion. (CIC 914)
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Dorothy Day is heralded by some to be a saint. I have copies of her Catholic Worker, and she loved Fidel Castro and what he was doing to Cuba. Is this what makes her so popular?
A: Of course not. Holy people are admired for their sanctity, not their politics.
Dorothy Day (1897-1980) was a journalist in the early part of the 20th century who converted to Catholicism. She had lived a sinful life for a number of years prior to her conversion, including having been involved in two common-law marriages and having had an abortion. After her conversion she became involved in social justice campaigns and started the Catholic Worker movement.
She did indeed take stances on political issues that would today be considered leftist, but her main concern was to care for and be an advocate for society’s poor and marginalized. When the 1960’s "free love" revolution came, Day rejected it by saying that she had already lived through the bad effects of "free love." She also remained staunchly loyal to the Church.
The Archdiocese of New York opened a cause for sainthood for Day in 2000. She is currently given the title Servant of God.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: I have a gay brother who has fallen from the faith. He has dated several guys over the last few years and wants to get "married" and adopt children in the future. I’m pretty certain that if I tell him I don’t support him, it will ruin our relationship and create problems within the family. What should I do?
A: If you were attracted to a married woman and were in love with her, would you choose her over obeying the Lord or would you choose the Lord over her? It all boils down to how much we love him, doesn’t it? He chose nothing over us. He willingly spent himself on us to the point of dying.
This is the conversation you need to have with your brother. You both are in my prayers.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: How do we sanctify the Lord’s Day (Sunday and holy days)?
A: According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With temperance and charity the faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes associated with popular leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees. (CCC 2187)
See also CCC 2184-2186.
John Paul II’s apostolic letter Dies Domini states:
Through Sunday rest, daily concerns and tasks can find their proper perspective: the material things about which we worry give way to spiritual values; in a moment of encounter and less pressured exchange, we see the true face of the people with whom we live. Even the beauties of nature—too often marred by the desire to exploit, which turns against man himself—can be rediscovered and enjoyed to the full . . . In any case, [Christians] are obliged in conscience to arrange their Sunday rest in a way which allows them to take part in the Eucharist, refraining from work and activities which are incompatible with the sanctification of the Lord’s Day, with its characteristic joy and necessary rest for spirit and body.
In order that rest may not degenerate into emptiness or boredom, it must offer spiritual enrichment, greater freedom, opportunities for contemplation and fraternal communion. Therefore, among the forms of culture and entertainment which society offers, the faithful should choose those which are most in keeping with a life lived in obedience to the precepts of the Gospel.
Sunday should also give the faithful an opportunity to devote themselves to works of mercy, charity and apostolate. (DD 67-69)
—Peggy Frye
Q: I have heard that there are so many relics of the Virgin Mary’s body that, put together, there would be enough bones for more than one person! Is this true?
A: No. The Catholic Church has solemnly defined that the Virgin Mary was assumed into heaven, body and soul, which means that there are no bones from her body available to be distributed as relics.
The Church does believe in the value of relics though, and for reasons based on Sacred Scripture. A tract outlining the Church’s understanding of relics can be found on Catholic Answers’ Web site (www.catholic.com).
—Michelle Arnold
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Catholic Answers
