Category Archives: doctrine

Is Cardinal Schönborn Papabile? Not at all

Posted on 25 February 2013 by Ron Conte

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Austria turned 67 in 2012. He is one of the most liberal Cardinals in the Church. He is from Europe, and is from a family of nobility. He is not papabile for several reasons: too young, … Continue reading →

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Distinguishing Discipline from Doctrine in the Bible

Posted on 25 February 2013 by Ron Conte

~ This post is my commentary on a sarcastic and malicious open letter, by an unknown author, addressed to Dr. Laura Schlessinger. This letter has been on the internet for quite a few years now, but it just came to … Continue reading →

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Will the next Pope loosen the ban on Contraception?

Posted on 11 February 2013 by Ron Conte

There is no guarantee from God that each and every Pope in succession will be a conservative. Although some conservative Catholics speak as if Catholics with more liberal theological opinions are necessarily heretics or apostates, such is not the case. … Continue reading →

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The Nature of God

Posted on 29 January 2013 by Ron Conte

What is God? Of what is the Divine Nature of God comprised? God is not made of any kind of physical or bodily substance. God is not made of matter, or atoms, or molecules. Neither is God made of any … Continue reading →

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Why so much animosity toward the Pope and the Church?

Posted on 19 December 2012 by Ron Conte

Over at Twitter, in the #AskPontifex thread, there is an outpouring of animosity and ridicule directed at the Pope, the Church, and the Catholic Faith. On the internet in general, this type of animosity is found almost everywhere that Catholicism … Continue reading →

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Controversy about the Pope’s Message of Peace

Posted on 17 December 2012 by Ron Conte

The Holy See has released the Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace (1 January 2013) — BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS. The Message relates peace, interior and exterior, to living a … Continue reading →

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The Filioque Clause and the Distinction of Persons

Posted on 13 December 2012 by Ron Conte

God is One. There cannot be many Gods for the following reason. Suppose a theological belief that there are several Gods. The first God is not only perfect, but infinitely perfect, lacking in absolutely nothing, and existing unbounded by time … Continue reading →

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The Immaculate Conception and the “foreseen” merits of Jesus Christ

Posted on 8 December 2012 by Ron Conte

Did the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary occur by virtue of the foreseen merits of Jesus Christ? No, not really. Many authors make this type of assertion. But the actual text of the dogma says “in view of … Continue reading →

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Common Errors on the Immaculate Conception

Posted on 6 December 2012 by Ron Conte

The magisterial teaching on the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a dogma. It is an infallible teaching under Papal Infallibility and under the ordinary and universal Magisterium. All infallible magisterial teachings are required beliefs, under pain of … Continue reading →

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Transmission of Original Sin from Both Parents

Posted on 2 December 2012 by Ron Conte

St. Thomas Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica, expresses a theological opinion not uncommon in past centuries. “Now it is evident that in the opinion of philosophers, the active principle of generation is from the father, while the mother provides the … Continue reading →

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Does the Canonization of Saints fall under Papal Infallibility?

Posted on 22 October 2012 by Ron Conte

This question is an open theological question; it is not a matter of doctrine. The Magisterium has not decided the question as to whether or not canonizations are infallible. It is the opinion of the majority of theologians that canonizations … Continue reading →

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Does the Church have the Authority to ordain Women Deacons?

Posted on 4 October 2012 by Ron Conte

My first point is that the answer to this question is not settled doctrine. The Magisterium has infallibly taught that Jesus did not give his Church the authority to ordain women to the priesthood (or the episcopate, since a bishop … Continue reading →

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