This is good news for Catholic Answers and will open up a lot of new possibilities. Christopher Check is now President — a good move.
You can read the official announcement here: http://www.catholic.com/news/catholic-answers-names-new-president
This is good news for Catholic Answers and will open up a lot of new possibilities. Christopher Check is now President — a good move.
You can read the official announcement here: http://www.catholic.com/news/catholic-answers-names-new-president
This Post Has 5 Comments
I learned a lot from Carl Keating. His “Catholicism and Fundamentalism” was one of my first major forays into apologetics. Catholic Answers is such a terrific resource.
Good. Let’s hope they clean up the situation on their forums now.
Dear Mr. Ray
My name is Brett Warren,I am an Anglican Christian living in Tasmania,Australia.I have been studying Catholic Doctrine for awhile,and was preparing to enter the church,when I decided that I could not.The reason? Pope Francis.
Iam really troubled and upset my statements he has made,and he has put me off entering the church,at least for now.
One thing more than any other thing that made me decide to enter the church was the church’s dogmatic teaching on Divorce and Remarriage.After very extensive study and refection I could see the the church’s teaching on this matter was true.No other church was teaching it,but the Catholic church,so that for me was the clincher.
But then,just after I had made my decision,out came “Amoris Lataetti”by pope Francis.
This absolutely shocked and confused me. It seems that that this Pope is saying that Catholics CAN,in certain cases,even without an annulement, if divorced and remarried, take Communion,and be a good church member. Is that true?
How can that be? I have tried to follow all the Apologists on line who are defending the Pope’s statements,but to me it just seems simple and clear,Francis is changing the church’s 2,000 year old teaching on this matter.
I read your book “On this Rock”,and it greatly helped me to see the truth,but now I’m not so sure.I’m confused and deeply troubled by what this Pope is saying and doing,and frankly speaking his statements allowing divorce and remarriage to be OK,in certain situations,without annulement,have made me decide that I CANNOT be enter the church. IF that is what this Pope is saying,then he is clearly and manifestly trying to change the unchangeable teaching of the church,and isn’t that what heretics do?
I would really like to enter the church,I need to, but I am genuinely confused and troubled by this Pope and what he is saying.
Yes, I know there have been “bad” Popes,immoral,unethical etc,but they never changed the church’s doctrine,yet this Pope seems to me to doing just that,changing a central doctrine of the church,and if that is the case,what the church teaches about the Papal Office is not true.
Maybe I am confused or not seeing something here,I am open to being set straight,but why on earth is this Pope even flirting with the idea,and giving others the idea(bishops in Malta)?
I hope you can somehow set me straight on this matter,because on this will depend on whether I will enter the church or not.I do not trust Pope Fancis,I have no confidence in him,and it does seem to me that he is very stealthily and indirectly trying to change the church’s doctrine.
Please correct and enlighten me on this matter.
Yours Faithfully
Brett Warren
Dear Mr. Warren,
I’ll begin by saying I am only 17, have much to learn, and this is a reply from my phone, so please excuse any errors in wording or spelling. I’ll also add that I am not Mr. Steve Ray.
I’m glad to hear you’re searching for the truth, and overjoyed to hear you’ve arrived at the Catholic Church! It comes as no surprise that the Pope would be keeping you, especially from a Protestant’s perspective. To my understanding of how the Protestant world operates, if a preacher says something with which one disagrees, one may leave and join a different church, correct? This is because the preacher’s personal beliefs are in direct correlation with his teachings. This is where the Pope differs, I would say most, from other instructors.
As you know and previously stated, the Catholic Church teaches infallibility in all that the Pope teaches, when speaking from an authoritative stance — the chair of St. Peter. In other words, when he declares doctrine or dogma, then and only then is his speech not only guarded, but guided by the Holy Spirit. As far as I’m aware, Pope Francis has not declared doctrine or dogma; therefore, what he says is to his own accord, and what he personally holds to be true.
I am very Conservative. Hearing some of the more leftist things Pope Francis says does annoy me somewhat, but I know that the Catholic Church, of which Pope Francis is the visible head on Earth, does not have its beliefs determined by what Pope Francis says, unless he’s declaring official teachings. His words on Islam and the wall proposed by President Trump, are just as inconsequential with regards to the teachings of the Church as his favorite football team is. Unfortunately, he is misguided in his political beliefs, and — although with goodness in his heart — this repels some people who may otherwise have joined the Church. Trying to view this from your perspective, I can see this as a legitimate concern; however, just as when you look at the Bible you must look at it as someone from the writing’s time period would, you must view the Pope as a Catholic would, if you wish to understand him and/or the Catholic Church. We view the Pope as the infallible visible teacher, through which the Holy Spirit speaks to guide us on matters of faith and morals. He can still have his own opinions apart from the Church’s teachings, however.
I have begun skimming through Amoris Lataetti, to try to find something that may have confused you. In the meantime, would you please provide a quote which is leading you to believe that Pope Francis is hoping to change teaching on annulments and marriage?
Please do keep in mind I am, sadly, NOT correct in everything I say, and therefore this post may not perfectly/at all reflect what the Church teaches.
God Bless,
Jack
P.S. I don’t give my last name because clearly this very Catholic website is where all high ranking criminals plot their plans of terrorism.
Karl Keating and Catholic Answers have been a Godsend. I returned to the Catholic Church after a 40-year absence and have re-learned so much of what I didn’t know about the Catholic faith. I am so addicted to anything Catholic, EWTN TV, Radio and have downloaded Catholic apps on my iPhone to the point of overload. I have recently bought a Catechism after reading it online for a few years and love reading it in book form, Hey, I can even mark it up! I came back to the Church that Jesus founded first and foremost because of the Eucharist. After participating in many communion services over the course of 40 years I found that every one of those services seemed incomplete, something wasn’t right. I must say not all has been lost because I now know what I almost, or could have, left this world without. Now that I have seen both sides I am set in concrete in the Catholic Church frustrated at times of how much time I lost not being home in the Catholic Church. The expression ” couldn’t see the forest for the trees” never seem so true now that I’m back home. Looking back I see more clearly the Treasure that is the Catholic Church and just can’t seem to get enough of. Thank you, Karl Keating and Catholic Answers you are a treasure-trove for us coming back to the Church. Ok, I’m off my soapbox now_Bob from Oklahoma
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