Once my friend said that she saw a priest at a casino in Council
Bluffs, Iowa. Is it a sin for a priest to gamble?
Gambling can be a legitimate form of recreation. It can be sinful for some people, however, they are using money that must be devoted to something else (for instance, a father of a family using the money that is needed for his family, or a priest using money that belongs to someone else or that should be put to other use). Gambling can also be wrong if the odds are skewed, if there is any dishonesty in its presentation, if the person gambling suffers from an addiction to the practice, if it is advertised in such a way as to exploit the poor and gullible, etc. Diocesan priests do not make a vow of poverty and therefore can own property and dispose of this as they wish. It would not necessarily be sinful for such a priest to gamble. It might be noted, however, that diocesan priests in the Diocese of Lincoln are paid very low salaries. If we have any money for gambling, it is likely that we got it from a family inheritance or some other source.
Reprinted from January 22, 1999
What is a "holy
rood"?
It is a representation of the cross of Christ. "Rood" is an old English word meaning a cross or gallows or place of execution.
Reprinted from January 22, 1999
back
Someone told me that in Rome there are preserved the chains
that held St. Peter. Is this true?
There is a church in Rome called "Saint Peter in Chains," where these relics are preserved. The church is famous also because of some famous sculptures by Michelangelo. Whether the chains preserved there are authentic relics or later copies of the original chains is disputed among scholars.
Reprinted from January 22, 1999
Does
the pope get a salary and if so, how much?
The pope has the resources of the Holy See at his disposal. He can take out as much as he needs to carry out his mission and his duties. All the recent popes, on the occasion of their deaths, have left everything they personally owned to the Holy See, with the exception of some little gifts that Pope Paul VI left to his personal secretary and to some of his close relatives. The Holy See annually publishes a complete financial report which includes the expenses of the Pontifical Household. Gifts that come to the pope form heads of state around the world and similar gifts go to the Vatican Museums, where they are often on display for the public to view.
Reprinted from January 22, 1999
back
Would it be a sin for a qualified Catholic citizen not to
vote?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, under the section on the fourth commandment (number 2240): "Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right ot vote and to defend one's country." Therefore, unless there is some just and good reason not to register and vote, the Church teaches that Catholics would commit a sin by abstaining from voting. Probably, this would usually be a venial sin, but it could be serious fi the common good would be seriously and adversely affected by abstaining from voting.
Reprinted from January 22, 1999
Are parents allowed to veto a child's choice of a spouse?
No. The choice of a state of life and of a profession as well as the choice of a life's partner are rights and duties that belong to children once they become legal adults. However, parents, while forbidden to exert undue pressure in these matters, still have an obligation to offer their adult children "judicious advice" about these thigns. See the Catechism of the Catholic Church - number 2230.
Reprinted from August 14, 1998
Is it all right to receive Communion in St. George Byzantine-Ukrainian Church
in Lincoln?
Yes. That parish church pertains to the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Chicago. It is part of the Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church. It is an interesting experience to attend the sacred liturgy in an Eastern Rite Church. Just make sure that the church is in union with the See of Peter in Rome. Those churches which are sometimes called "orthodox" generally are separated from us.
Reprinted from August 28, 1998
How does a man get to be made a cardinal in the Catholic
Church?
Cardinals are named (the official word is "created') by the pope. The Bishop of Rome alone decides who will be a cardinal.
Reprinted from August 28, 1998