Pat McCloskey, OFM

During Pope Francis’ visit to Chile and Peru last January, he married a couple during one of the flights. Does Church law permit that?

Carlos Ciuffardi Elorriage, 41, and Paula Podest Reuiz, 39, had been civilly married for several years but not in the Catholic Church. They approached the pope about their situation, and after an extended conversation he offered to witness the wedding on the next flight during his pastoral visit.

What were the customs in Jesus’ day for young Jewish people regarding courtship, engagements, and physical intimacy before marriage? What about any children conceived or born before the wedding?

My daughter-in-law has told lies about me, disrespected my husband, and won’t let us speak to our grandchildren. My son totally believes what she says.

I cannot stop crying, and my heart is simply crushed. I realize that God knows the truth and knows what she is doing. I have been praying hard, but the hurt is very great. What can I do to open my son’s eyes without seeming as though I’m simply trying to cause problems?

Do you have any good reading material for my son who is doubting the need for the Church in his life? He specifically mentioned the seeming randomness of being born into a Catholic family instead of one of a different faith.

He asked, “How can it be that I am able to be saved because I was born here, but if I were born in Egypt (or any number of other places), I would not really have the same chance? “

In homilies at funerals, priests often refer to the deceased person as already being in heaven. What happened to purgatory? I know the priest is probably saying this to bring comfort to the family.

The Catholic Church still believes in purgatory as a time of cleansing for those who need it. Deceased people are not ready for heaven until they have no objection to the persons sitting across from them or next to them at the eternal banquet or where they sit at the eternal banquet!

In different parts of the Old Testament, God is called by different names for example, sometimes El and at other times Yahweh. Why is that? Why did God change names?

God did not change names but is simply too great to be confined to a single name.