Q) Has any pope in latter part of the 20th century made a definitive statement about Protestants that promote the idea all one has to do is accept Jesus as Lord and Savior but not the Catholic Church? - John

A) Pope John Paul I in a General Audience on September 13, 1978 said, "It is clear that Jesus and the Church are the same thing: indissoluble, inseparable. Christ and the Church are only one thing. It is not possible to say: 'I believe in Jesus, I accept Jesus, but I do not accept the Church.”

A) The answer is no. A bishop can not force a priest to use altar girls. It must be stated that priests that only uses altar boys are serious about fostering vocations to the priesthood because they know a girl can never become a priest.

A) St. Veronica is not in the Bible, but is part of Holy Tradition in which the Catholic faith holds equal to Scripture. The cloth she wiped Jesus’s face left an image of His face upon it. We still have it today it is called "Mantylion". Scientists have matched the image on the Mantylion with that of the Shroud of Turin. In any event, Veronica’s veil is kept today at St. Peter's in Rome. Her veil is a lasting testimony of her authenticity.

A) Today one will hear certain labels such as, liberal, middle of the road, or conservative bantered around in the media or in polite company to describe a particular Catholics theological position. These terms are not only inconsequential to the Catholic faith but cause confusion within the Church allowing people with heretical ideas to advance their agenda under the cover of a fabricated title. The Bible warns us of the self proclaimed liberals who will jettison orthodox doctrine in favor of their own passions. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, ..." (2 Timothy 4:2-5) We are also informed by God’s word that those who take the apparently safe route of sitting upon the fence will be rejected. " I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you from my mouth.” (Rev 3:15-16) Finally, the term conservative has no relevance when it comes to Catholicism. It is quite simple, one is either a faithful Catholic or not.

A)Ignorance can be of two kinds: Culpable (guilty) or invincible (innocent). A person who is culpably ignorant cannot save his soul while he remains in that state. The Jewish person that asked this question cannot claim to be invincible ignorant. He has been presented with the truth about Jesus being the Messiah or he could not have asked such a question. “Who is the liar, but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father...” (1 John 2:22-23) The person answering the question was clearly wrong. Here is a perfect example that will make it more clear. Do you think the Jews killed St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, because he said, “if you honestly cannot accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah, but live a life as a devout Jew, you can reach heaven” or maybe just maybe he told the Jews the uncompromising truth about Jesus and they stoned him to death for it ?

Finally, the Council of Florence made this infallible statement which can never be expunged:"The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church." (Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441.)

A)The Protestant Bible is missing seven books. (Tibet, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 & 2 Maccabees) Martin Luther changed the Bible. First, he took 7 books (Tobit, Judith,Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1&2 Maccabees) out of the Old Testament because they caused problems for his new theology. The Catholic Bible contains all the books of the Old Testament that Christ read from and therefore is correct.

A) The Bible states clearly that the God abhors tattooing and body piecing because it mutilates the body "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor shall you make in yourselves any figures or marks: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:28). The Fifth Commandment also forbids unnecessary harming of one's body, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul calls it. The practice of tattooing involves an unnecessary medical risk of acquiring the dangerous viruses Hepatitis C or HIV. These virus, once acquired through such practices can lie dormant in the body for an extended period after the tattooing or body piercing incident. There is no cure for Hepatitis C or AIDS and both end in death. Altering the body can be justified only on the supposition that it is necessary or useful toward obtaining some physical benefit such as, pierced ears which eliminates the pain of clip on ear rings or a necessary operation for ones health.

A) Yes there are different levels in heaven. " In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."(John 14:2)

A)Apologetics means the science of defending and explaining the Catholic faith and in particular Catholic doctrine.

A) The answer is no. Dancing of any kind during liturgical services is strictly prohibited. (Notitiae II 202-205)

A) Communion given to non Catholics is prohibited. (CIC 844) Code of Canon Law

A)Contraceptive sex is no different than the sin of sodomy because both unquestionably deny the sacrament of marriage by intentionally closing the sexual act to procreation and therefore are empty and can never unify those who engage in them. Just about every imaginable sexual activity is mentioned in the Bible, and the only form that is pleasing to God is uncorrupted conjugal love. As for a vasectomy, Deuteronomy 23:1 says, "No one who is emasculated, or has his male organ cut off, shall enter the assembly of the Lord." Contraception is condemned in Genesis 38:8-10 where God took the the life of Onan because he spilled his seamen rather than produce children. The New Testament also condemns contraception in Romans 1:24-26 “Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonor their own bodies among themselves. Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature.” Christians do not conform themselves to the world but are transformed. Intentional sterility is an affront before the Lord. God despises any sexual act that deliberately departs from the possibility of new life in its design.

Q)What is the fate of most people - heaven or hell? - Will

A) The Bible is crystal clear that most people will end up in hell. Jesus even said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matt 7:13 -14)

A)The Council of Trent did not declare drinking from the cup to be heresy. One thing to remember about communion is the smallest part of the Host is Jesus Christ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.So one must be very careful. The reason the cup was withheld during different time periods has to do more with discipline and safety of the most Precious Blood than doctrine.. The Vatican allows a priest to give the Blood of Christ to the people as he sees fit. What we are dealing with is small tradition.

I have always thought Jesus died to forgive my sins and to "open the gates of heaven" for me. But I have to keep saying sorry to God for my sins. I can lose my salvation. I have to make reparations for my sins. Do penance. If Jesus died for my sins, and suffered and "took the punishment" for my sins, why do I have to keep making reparations for my sins. My Lutheran friend says that I am undermining the suffering that Jesus has done for me. He cites Romans 6:23, 3:23,24, John 1:12, Patricia

A)I will answer it first by an example and second by Scripture.

1) Salvation is a free gift from God. One must remember a gift can always denied. What your Protestant friend does not understand is when he sins in reality he is refusing Christ and His sacrifice upon the cross.He has fallen into the sin of presumption. Presumption is pride that leads one to expect salvation no matter was state in life one finds themselves in.

2)Scripture is very clear that one must confess sin.

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (John 5:16)

Jesus gave the power to forgive sin to the apostles when he breathed upon them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" ( John 20:22-23)

Scripture is also clear one can lose their salvation.

“For if they, having escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of (our) Lord and savior Jesus Christ, again become entangled and overcome by them, their last condition is worse than their first. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment handed down to them.” (2 peter 20-21)

“Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall” (1 Cor 10: 11)

The one Scripture verse Protestants never seem to find in the Bible is ( 1 Cor 4:4-5). It destroys their idea of proclaiming themselves saved.

“ I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.”( 1 Cor 4:4-5)

A) Christians do not conform themselves to the world but are transformed. Just about every imaginable sexual activity is mentioned in the Bible, and the only form that is pleasing to God is uncorrupted conjugal love. Intentional sterility is an affront before the Lord. God despises any sexual act that deliberately departs from the possibility of new life in its design. The Catholic Church does not single out homosexuals for performing unnatural sexual acts that are not fruitful but also all heterosexuals that use artificial birth control. Sodomy just like contraceptive sex unquestionably denies the sacrament of marriage because they both intentionally close the sexual act to procreation, and therefore are empty and can never unify those who engage in them. Those unfortunate husbands and wives that can not conceive for what ever reason do not intentionally say no to new life but use their bodies in the proper manner and therefore should never be denied matrimony. Marriage is between only one man and one woman. It is society's fundamental building block. Procreation and the care of children are the primary reasons every societies has sanctioned heterosexual marriage and invested in those unions by granting specific legal and financial benefits.

In 1961, Pope John XXIII through the guidance of the Holy Spirit approved a ban on ordaining homosexuals to the priesthood that is still in effect but has been obviously ignored in the United States. The document titled, "Instruction on the Choice and Formation of Candidates To The State of Perfection and To Holy Orders" was approved on January 23, 1961 by Pope John XXIII and issued formally on February 2, 1961 by the Sacred Congregation of Religious. The document stated, "Advancement to religious vows and ordination should be barred to those who are afflicted with evil tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty, since for them the common life and the priestly ministry would constitute serious dangers." John XXIII wrote this ban because he knew homosexuality is an inclination, which is objectively disordered. It has the a proclivity to unnatural and immoral thoughts and actions. Considering the predicament the Catholic Church in America finds itself in; he was was obviously correct.

The fact is that 95% of the sex abuse crimes committed by priests do not involve prepubescent children or females but teenage boys. That, by definition, is not pedophila but pederasty or commonly called homosexual abuse. Numerous studies have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that male homosexuals are three times more likely to engage in sexual misconduct with minors than heterosexuals. A study in the Journal of Sex Research found that although heterosexuals outnumber homosexuals by a ratio of 32 to 1, homosexuals are responsible for one third of the sex offenses against minors in any given year. Two homosexual scientists, Karla Jay and Allen Young, conducted a comprehensive study on the homosexual lifestyle in 1973, titled, "The Gay Report". Jay and Young found that 73% of the adult homosexual males they surveyed had at some time had sex with boys sixteen to nineteen years of age or younger.

All those who struggle with the inclination of homosexuality and seek redemption through Christ are welcome in the Catholic Church, but the "fail-safe" policy that Pope John XXIII maintained must be carried out to protect the innocent and the integrity of the priesthood. If the Boy Scouts of America can have the courage to stand up and reject homosexuals as scoutmasters, then the Church in United States must follow Blessed John XXIII instruction’s and say, NO to ordaining homosexuals.

A)First, there is no such thing as an eucharistic minister. They are called extraordinary ministers. The reason they are call this is because they are to be used only in extraordinary situations such as a lack or illness of priests and deacons or a large crowds that would excessively prolong the distribution of Holy Communion.

Second, an extraordinary minister never is to reach into the tabernacle, period. The priest should hand the pyx to them.

A)The over whelming majority of pregnancies that have problems are normally resolved in the first trimester. The baby for what ever reason can not survive and is miscarried.

Today's medicine allows for babies to survive outside the womb earlier and earlier. This allows doctors to take the child and save the baby's life.

As for the meat of your question, "Is it right under these circumstances to have an abortion to save the mother's life?" There have been many cases where mothers have had serious illness such as cancer and did not take treatments for the disease because the cure would have killed the baby. Rather they laid down their life for their child. "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." ( John 15; 15)

A)God made Man's body with genetic material wich allows it to adapt. Animals and Mankind are subject to micro evolution NOT macro evolution. Macro evolution is the theory that one animal can turn into a different species. Micro evolution is the ability to make small changes but always remain the same animal.

Here is an example. You can take dogs and breed them to the end of time. You always will get dogs born from each breeding pair of dogs. Some puppies will have long hair, some short hair, and some with different colors but you always end up with a dog as the product of breeding canines.