Q: Why do male religious get to final vows in about five years from date of entry while females take seven years or more before they may solemnly profess? (Flushing, NY)

Q: I heard that in the old days, seminarians were instituted as exorcists as part of “minor orders.” How does someone become an exorcist today? Is there some sort of special ceremony or liturgy?

Q: I have a question about the rules and teachings around Catholic marriage for persons with some mild intellectual disability and English language abilities: Can they be married in the Catholic Church? I’m sure you could answer by saying it depends on the individual case, but are there any general rules and advice? (Limerick, Ireland)

Q: Catholic governors commit an obviously sinful act when they sign extremely permissive abortion laws. On the other hand, there is an extraordinary minister of holy Communion in my parish who told me she is pro-choice, but I’m not aware she has done anything to support abortion except maybe vote for a pro-choice candidate. My question is: At what point does being a pro-choice Catholic become sinful? (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Q: As a parish priest, I found your recent article on the Church’s teaching on Freemasonry interesting, and I have a follow-up question: How can one deal pastorally with parishioners who are quick to suspect people of being Freemasons? I can think of one or two parishioners who are convinced the Vatican is infiltrated by Freemasons, and anybody in Church life they in any way disagree with must be a Freemason. They can be frustrating, as it’s hard to argue with them without them turning around and saying that you must be a Freemason! (Ireland)

Q: I’m a Catholic working at a funeral home and assisting at many Catholic funerals. I’m not always in the church for the entirety of Mass. I’m sometimes out during the Gospel and homily or after Communion since I’m helping with the arrangements. Since it’s not fulfilling my Sunday obligation, is it still OK for me to receive Communion to offer up for the deceased if I’m not there for the entire Mass? (Illinois)

Q: In the Gospel’s account of Peter’s confession of Christ, Jesus responded with: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” I sometimes wonder if it wouldn’t have been better if Jesus would have skipped the wordplay and simply said: “Peter, I’m making you the first head of my Church.” The verse as is, seems subject to a lot of interpretation. When I was Protestant we all said that the verse implied that the Church would be built on a general confession of Christ, and Peter’s was but one example. Could you comment? (Indiana)

Q: I know officially the Catholic Church is against the death penalty, but what about Genesis 9:6?

A: It looks like there are two dimensions to your question: the Church’s teaching on the death penalty, and how we are to read the Old Testament as Catholics.

Could you clarify the Church’s current stance on Freemasonry? Some seem to think that these days it’s “no different than belonging to Rotary” or any other service club. The local church has parishioners that belong to the local Masonic lodge.

How does this work if the Church considers Catholic weddings to be valid even without a civil marriage ceremony?