Catholic answers
Answers
Short, sourced answers to real questions about the Catholic faith, organized by topic and by tradition.
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Leavened or Unleavened Bread: Does It Matter for the Eucharist?
Leavened or unleavened bread? The Council of Florence defined that Christ's Body is truly confected in both. Why the azymes dispute never justified schism.
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The Thief on the Cross: If He Wasn't Baptized, Why Must I Be?
The thief on the cross was never baptized. Why must you be? Scripture, the Fathers and the Catechism on Luke 23:43, baptism of blood, and Paradise.
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Why Do the Orthodox Reject the Immaculate Conception?
Orthodox see ancestral sin as corruption, not guilt. Why Scripture and the Fathers point to Mary immaculate from conception, in harmony with Eastern hymns.
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Are Our Good Works "Filthy Rags"? (Isaiah 64:6)
Does Isaiah 64:6 call all good works filthy rags? Context, Scripture, the Fathers and the Catechism on the good works Christ works in His people.
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Infant Communion: Why Does the Latin Church Wait?
Eastern Catholics give infants Communion; Latin Catholics wait. Why the Latin practice is discipline, not doctrine, and why both live in one Catholic Church.
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Essence and Energies: Can a Catholic Accept St. Gregory Palamas?
The Catholic Church never condemned St. Gregory Palamas; Melkite Catholics keep his feast. Essence, energies, theosis and simplicity: the real issue is Peter.
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Is the Pope "First Among Equals" or Head of the Church?
Orthodox say the pope is first among equals with a primacy of honor. Scripture and the first millennium show more: St. Peter's keys and real jurisdiction.
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Why Is the Ethiopian Bible Different? The 81-Book Canon and the Catholic Church
The Ethiopian Bible counts 81 books, including 1 Enoch and Jubilees. Why Catholics hold 73, why Jude quoting Enoch doesn't make it Scripture, and who decides.
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Romans 3:28: Did Luther Add "Alone" to the Bible?
Luther added "alone" to Romans 3:28 and admitted it. What St. Paul meant by "works of the law," what the Fathers meant, and why James 2:24 says "not."
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Is the Catholic Priesthood Biblical?
All believers are priests and Christ is the one High Priest. So why ordained priests? Exodus, Korah, Luke 22, John 20, Romans 15 and the Fathers answer.
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What Did the Catholic and Oriental Orthodox Christological Agreements Actually Say?
The 1973, 1984, 1990 and 1996 agreements confess one faith in Christ but not full communion. What they settle, what remains, and the next step.
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The Armenian Apostolic Church and Rome: What Divides Us Now?
Catholics and Armenians confess one faith in Christ (1996). What still divides them is St. Peter's successor. Scripture, the Fathers, and the way home.
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Why Did the Council of Florence's Reunion Fail?
In 1439 East and West signed one faith at Florence. Why the reunion collapsed, what the Orthodox objections are, and why its failure was political.
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Can Oriental Orthodox Christians Receive Communion at a Catholic Mass?
Catholic law (canon 844 §3) allows it, but your own Church generally does not. Why the Eucharist is the sign of full unity, and where that unity is found.
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Did the Fourth Crusade Cause the Schism?
The 1204 sack of Constantinople was a grave sin that popes condemned and repented of. But the schism began earlier, and it did not move St. Peter's chair.
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Was Pope St. Leo's Tome Nestorian? A Catholic Answer to the Oriental Orthodox
Was St. Leo's Tome Nestorian? Its own words, St. Cyril's 433 reunion, Chalcedon, and modern Catholic-Oriental Orthodox declarations say no.
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Pope Honorius: Did a Pope Teach Heresy?
Was Pope Honorius a heretic? He was condemned by the Sixth Council, but that does not disprove papal infallibility. The council said Peter spoke through Agatho.
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The Inquisition, the Crusades, and Bad Popes: Does Church History Disprove Catholicism?
Bad popes, the Inquisition, the Crusades: real sins, honestly admitted. Why Scripture says they don't disprove the Catholic Church, and what really happened.
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Can I Know I'm Saved? What 1 John 5:13 Really Means
Does 1 John 5:13 prove once saved, always saved? Read in context, it teaches the Catholic answer: confident hope in Christ, not presumption.
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Doesn't 1 Timothy 2:5 Say There Is Only One Mediator?
Yes, Christ is the one Mediator. But 1 Timothy 2 opens by commanding intercession. Why the prayers of saints and priests share in His mediation.