Open Forum

The callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief.

Questions Covered:

• 06:45 - If a priest learns of an imminent crime within the confessional, is he able to act upon this knowledge?
• 17:00 - Why didn’t St. Pio have the stigmata on his feet? Isn’t it supposed to be exactly like Christ’s crucifixion, or how do we interpret the stigmata?
• 20:13 - I get mixed messages about taking communion in the hand and also holding hands during the Our Father. I’ve been told these practices are sinful. What is allowed?
• 28:50 - What are the ramifications of having a vasectomy, as far as the sinful nature and each act of intimacy with your wife? 
• 32:43 - After years of being away from the Church and then going to confession for the first time, how do you go about addressing the types of sins and number of times? Do I need to go back if I remember something afterwards?
• 42:30 - I was told by a friend that when I listen to apologetics on the radio that it is blasphemy and demonic. He says he learned this in Catholic school. Can you explain why a devout Catholic would have this point-of-view?
• 45:00 - Can a priest refuse absolution, and if so under what conditions?
• 49:30 - Our diocesan newspaper had an article that stated there were no official ordinations when the Church was young. Any baptized person in the home could perform the Mass. This would mean people that were not ordained were consecrating the Eucharist. It also stated women were no longer able to say Mass based off of Roman ideals. This idea also sounds unreal to me. Are these statements true?

Resources Mentioned:

• 101 Questions & Answers on the Sacraments of Healing: Penance and Anointing of the Sick by Father Paul Jerome Keller OP
• A Lenten Journey with Jesus Christ and St. Thomas Aquinas by Father Paul Jerome Keller OP