Question Corner: Is there any way to know how long a person might be in purgatory? October 22, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner, Saints Generally, there is no clear way to know whether or not someone is still in purgatory.
Question Corner: In families involved in occult practices, does baptism free their infants from such things? October 15, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner Besides the rite of major exorcism, the church also has several “minor exorcisms” in her treasury of prayers. A minor exorcism is a prayer for protection against and deliverance from evil spirits which can be prayed by any priest in scenarios other than demonic possession.
Question Corner: Does a married Catholic need their bishop’s permission to separate from their spouse? October 9, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner A person who willingly abandons their spouse for sinful reasons is probably not a Catholic who takes the faith seriously enough to be swayed by their pastor’s admonishments or to be concerned about the sacramental consequences of their actions.
Question Corner: Why won’t the church grant me an annulment after my husband had an affair? October 1, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The goal of the church’s nullity process is to determine whether there was some problem or issue at the time of the wedding that was serious enough and of such a nature so as to prevent a true marriage from ever being contracted in the first place.
Question Corner: Can parishes lock doors after a school Mass begins for safety? September 24, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Gun Violence, Question Corner A church building is a sacred space that is open to the public by its very nature. The faithful fundamentally have a right to join in the prayer conducted in a church building since it is, in a sense, their spiritual home.
Question Corner: Would a couple who had excellent marriage prep have a harder time getting an annulment? September 17, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Marriage & Family Life, Question Corner It is possible that excellent marriage preparation could “work against” a couple seeking a declaration of nullity in some circumstances. But most of the time, it probably would not.
Question Corner: Does a person’s mortal sin prior to becoming Catholic follow him or her until confession and absolution? September 10, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner When in doubt, bring it up in confession anyway. If a person does bear the guilt of a sin committed in their pre-Catholic life, the priest will be happy to grant absolution.
Question Corner: What is church teaching on openness to kids in marriages between older adults? September 4, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Marriage & Family Life, Question Corner In order to marry in the Catholic Church, a couple does need to be at least open to life in principle — but it is not a requirement that children necessarily be foreseen as a realistic possibility in the intended union.
Question Corner: Does the church ever use the word ‘divorce’ or does it only talk about ‘annulment?’ August 27, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner Sometimes people have the mistaken idea that “annulments” are some kind of Catholic-approved divorce, but this is not at all accurate.
Question Corner: Why don’t bishops excommunicate politicians who support abortion? August 20, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner While the act of directly causing an abortion is a canonical crime that is punished with an automatic excommunication, (see Canon 1397, 2) this only applies in scenarios where a particular individual actually brought about an abortion personally — and not in situations where a person promoted abortion in a more abstract way.
Question Corner: Is it simony that my parish wants to charge a fee for having a funeral livestreamed? August 13, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The church does have material needs that arise in the course of her spiritual mission. And so it is not simony to accept or request donations on the occasion of the celebration of the sacraments, as long as it is understood that such a donation is truly a free-will offering and not a condition for the sacrament’s administration.
Question Corner: How accurate is the portrayal of Judas in ‘The Chosen?’ August 6, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner We know that God is infinitely loving and merciful, so I believe that Jesus would have readily and joyfully forgiven Judas if he had only turned back to God and sought reconciliation.
