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:

• 07:38 - When you try to evangelize or present Church teaching, but your audience shuts you down, is this something you need to just accept, or does this mean you did something wrong?
• 14:20 - Do we have to go to a priest to confess, or can we confess our sins directly to God?
• 20:05 - I was brought into the Church through the Society of Pius X. There’s a lot of complaints about changes in the Mass. I’m okay with most of them, but don’t know how to feel about the words in the prayer of consecration being changed from “many” to “all”. What is the church’s justification for this change?
• 28:26 - When people who aren’t exposed to the faith sin and ignore God’s commandments, will God forgive them due to their ignorance? When I sin, is it worse because I am Catholic and have been instructed in the faith?
• 33:07 - What is the status of the Dominican rite? Is it still in use?
• 34:40 - If someone was forced to have an abortion over 30 years ago, and has asked God for forgiveness, where does she stand in the eyes of the Church? Since she was forced by her parents, is she guilty of the sin?
• 42:00 - If you receive the anointing of the sick and apostolic pardon before a serious surgery, and then you do not die, are your sins still forgiven?
• 46:12 - Should I let my 16-yr-old son decide for himself when he will make his confirmation?
• 48:10 - If I can’t make it to confession because I’m in an extraordinary situation or I’m in a remote location, can I use Skype or FaceTime with the priest for my confession? If this is not acceptable, can you explain why?

Resources Mentioned:

• 101 Questions & Answers on the Sacraments of Healing: Penance and Anointing of the Sick by Fr. Paul Jerome Keller OP