Faithful Dissent and Faithful Disobedience

Posted on 31 July 2012 by Ron Conte

The Church has two types of authority: 1. spiritual authority (the teaching authority, called the Magisterium) 2. temporal authority The doctrines of the Church are Her teachings. Infallible doctrines are called dogmas. But the Church also has disciplines, in addition … Continue reading →

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The Portiuncula indulgence of Saint Francis

Posted on 29 July 2012 by Ron Conte

A plenary (full) indulgence is granted on August 2nd of each year: The Portiuncula (little portion) indulgence. This Thursday, August 2nd: To obtain the Portiuncula plenary indulgence, (1) a person must visit a Franciscan sanctuary or one’s parish church on … Continue reading →

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Are Catholic businesses unwelcome in Boston?

Posted on 26 July 2012 by Ron Conte

… or in Chicago? The controversy started this way: Dan Cathy, the president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, was invited to appear on the “The Ken Coleman Show,” during when he revealed that those advocating for same-sex marriage will … Continue reading →

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A Moment of Silence for the Victims

Posted on 25 July 2012 by Ron Conte

Suppose that we were to observe a moment of silence for each person killed in a tragic event. To be specific, one second of silence for each victim. How long would the silence be, for various tragedies that have occurred … Continue reading →

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Can a person be not guilty of sin by reason of insanity?

Posted on 22 July 2012 by Ron Conte

In the U.S. legal system, a person can be found not guilty of a crime that the person, as a matter of fact, did commit, if the person is so severely mentally ill that they could not understand right from … Continue reading →

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Quiz on Catholicism 001 — with Answers

Posted on 21 July 2012 by Ron Conte

True or False? 1. In order to receive any grace at all from God, we must first turn to Him in a sincere search for goodness and truth. 2. We are unable pray to God for grace or to cooperate … Continue reading →

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Is lying only immoral if you intend to deceive?

Posted on 18 July 2012 by Ron Conte

This is not an open question. The Magisterium has a definitive teaching on lying: 1753 A good intention (for example, that of helping one’s neighbor) does not make behavior that is intrinsically disordered, such as lying and calumny, good or … Continue reading →

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Fr. Zlatko Sudac: the Angelic Shepherd

Posted on 13 July 2012 by Ron Conte

The following text is excerpted from my booklet: The Great Catholic Monarch and the Angelic Shepherd The great Pope is the Angelic Shepherd. He is called Angelic because he will take the name Pope Raphael, and because of the Angelic … Continue reading →

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On Faithful Dissent (part 1)

Posted on 12 July 2012 by Ron Conte

The Church has two types of authority: 1. Spiritual authority, which is the teaching authority or Magisterium of the Church 2. Temporal authority, which includes the laws, rules, and rulings of the Church The Magisterium teaches, whereas the temporal authority … Continue reading →

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Updated article on marital foreplay

Posted on 11 July 2012 by Ron Conte

I have now updated my article on marital foreplay: Unnatural sexual acts as marital foreplay Question — Are unnatural sexual acts moral to use as foreplay, prior to an act of natural marital relations open to life? I’ve added a … Continue reading →

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Prevenient Grace and Subsequent Grace

Posted on 7 July 2012 by Ron Conte

Operating grace is distinguished from cooperating grace. Operating grace occurs when God acts on the soul without any cooperation by our free will. This type of grace is also called prevenient (from the Latin: ‘to go before’) because it occurs … Continue reading →

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The sources used in sound Roman Catholic theology

Posted on 6 July 2012 by Ron Conte

I would like to expand on a point of criticism in my previous post, on the site reviews at CatholicCulture.org. I criticized them for a fault which is found among many conservative Catholics. When the site reviewers have a disagreement … Continue reading →

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