The cause for canonization of an assassin

Posted on 1 October 2011 by Ron Conte

This action by Bishops in Korea is imprudent. They are moving forward with the cause for canonization of Thomas An Jung-geun, a Korean Catholic who assassinated the Japanese resident general of Korea, in 1909, during the conflict between Korea and … Continue reading →

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Is Bishop Zurek sinning by restricting Fr. Pavone?

Posted on 1 October 2011 by Ron Conte

Bishop Zurek has issued a public clarification on Fr. Pavone. See Dr. Peters’ commentary here. It is odd that the Bishop says Fr. Pavone is suspended, but with faculties in his own diocese. This is not a suspension. Every priest … Continue reading →

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Did Joseph and Mary have a valid Sacrament of Marriage?

Posted on 29 September 2011 by Ron Conte

There are two types of marriage: 1. natural marriage 2. the Sacrament of Marriage We might further divide natural marriages into those that take place between unbaptized human persons in general, and those that occur between Jews. For the natural … Continue reading →

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The Next Liberal Pope and the Ordination of Women Deacons

Posted on 27 September 2011 by Ron Conte

I would like to cover two related topics in this post: (1) What will happen when, eventually, a liberal Pope is elected, and, (2) Does the Church have the authority to ordain women to the deaconate. On the first point, … Continue reading →

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Jesus Loathed The Pharisees

Posted on 25 September 2011 by Ron Conte

Or so says the subject line of an e-mail I received recently. Below is a quote from this e-mail, containing the entire body of the argument offered by its author. I’m offering this e-mail and my reply here, because the … Continue reading →

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Sexual Slavery and Sexual Sins

Posted on 24 September 2011 by Ron Conte

When grave sins become socially acceptable, they cease to be recognized as sins. It then becomes much more difficult for the individual conscience — especially one not guided by the Magisterium — to perceive that the grave sin is immoral. … Continue reading →

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Natural Law and the Catholic Faith

Posted on 22 September 2011 by Ron Conte

There are three pillars of truth in the Roman Catholic Faith: 1. Tradition 2. Scripture 3. Magisterium The Magisterium (the living teaching office of the Church) teaches from Tradition and Scripture. All the teachings of the Magisterium are found, explicitly … Continue reading →

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Predestination and the Universal Salvific Will of God

Posted on 18 September 2011 by Ron Conte

We can consider, as a hypothetical, what other plans of salvation God might have chosen. He might have chosen not to create humanity, or not to create anything. He might have chosen not to allow Adam and Eve to procreate … Continue reading →

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Illegal Immigration and Slavery

Posted on 11 September 2011 by Ron Conte

legality versus morality Immigration from one nation to another is not intrinsically evil. The Holy Family immigrated to Egypt from the Holy Land. The Apostles immigrated to various distant nations to spread the Gospel. The faithful have often, throughout the … Continue reading →

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Fr. Z. on the Penance controversy

Posted on 8 September 2011 by Ron Conte

Here is Fr. Z.’s post on whether or not the penance is necessary to the validity of the Sacrament of Confession: Am I forgiven…?. He teaches the same position that I have been arguing: “You are forgiven your sins even … Continue reading →

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Roman Catholic Voting Ethics Revisited

Posted on 6 September 2011 by Ron Conte

I’ve written on this topic before, but with the elections in the U.S. Presidential primary drawing nearer, I thought it would be good to revisit Catholic teaching on voting. Does the Catholic Church have any definitive teachings on voting? Yes. … Continue reading →

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Guilty murderer or innocent victim? (On duress and morality)

Posted on 4 September 2011 by Ron Conte

There was a story in the news recently about a young woman who was a soldier in the Libyan military. During the rebellion, she was forced to kill captured rebels. These were not killings during battle. The rebels were individually … Continue reading →

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