Question Corner

Q: Is it a sin if someone calls Mary co-redemptrix? Should I stop following them on social media? (Louisiana)

A: I’m assuming your question is in response to the recent document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Vatican “department” that deals with major theological questions pertaining to what we believe as Catholics) titled “Mater Populi Fidelis” – or in English, “Mother of the faithful people of God” – which is a “doctrinal note on some Marian titles regarding Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation.”

The entire document is well worth a read, as it contains some helpful explanations and beautiful reflections on Mary’s role in salvation history. But the main practical takeaway from “Mater Populi Fidelis” is that, to avoid misunderstandings that could potentially veer into heresy, we should be extremely careful about referring to Our Lady as “Mediatrix” or mediator of God’s grace; and that “given the necessity of explaining Mary’s subordinate role to Christ in the work of redemption, it is always inappropriate to use the title ‘Co-redemptrix’ to define Mary’s cooperation” since “this title risks obscuring Christ’s unique salvific mediation and can therefore create confusion and an imbalance in the harmony of the truths of the Christian faith.”

Or in other words, while the title “co-redemptrix” has been used in the past by saints and even some popes, they did not elaborate “much on its meaning.” Calling Mary “co-redemptrix” could in theory have a perfectly orthodox interpretation such as, e.g., a reference to her as the mother who bore Christ the Redeemer into the world.

However, after years of careful discernment, the church’s doctrinal authorities came to the conclusion that this title is apt for misunderstanding and thus should not be used.

Whether or not it is actually a sin to call Mary “co-redemptrix” is a nuanced question that would need to take several factors into account. For an act to be a sin, it needs to be something that is objectively wrong, which the one committing it knows is wrong and which is chosen with at least some degree of freedom.CNS PHOTO | JUSTIN MCLELLAN
An image of Mary and the child Jesus stands behind the altar at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Rome
May 3, 2023.


Clearly, past Catholics who used the title before the publication of “Mater Populi Fidelis” on Nov. 4 were not sinning, since the question of calling Mary “co-redemptrix” was still an open one. And even now, this document does not seem to prohibit referencing this title in a purely academic context, such as if a degreed theologian wished to explore this theme in a paper intended for their professional peers.

Yet at the same time, Canon 752 of the Code of Canon Law reminds us that: “a religious submission of intellect and will is to be given to any doctrine which either the Supreme Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising their authentic magisterium [i.e., their teaching authority], declare upon a matter of faith or morals […] Christ’s faithful are therefore to ensure that they avoid whatever does not accord with that doctrine.”

So a Catholic who stubbornly refused to accept the church’s teaching in “Mater Populi Fidelis” and continued to refer to Mary as “co-redemptrix” out of a willful disregard for the pope’s authority likely would be sinning.

Still, we generally cannot know what goes on in another person’s heart as an outside observer. Defiantly promoting the “co-redemptrix” Marian title might be objectively a problem – and it’s not something we should do ourselves – but we can reserve judgment as to whether or to what degree another person might be sinning if they do this.

With respect to the question of whether or not to follow people who still use the “co-redemptrix” title on social media, here again I think a lot depends on the context. The church does not ask us to un-follow friends or family members who post things contrary to church teaching. But as a prudential judgment, it can be reasonable to avoid consuming media that directly contradicts church teaching.

Dec. 5, 2025
By: Jenna Marie Cooper

Q: My dad gives up chocolate every year for both Lent and Advent. I always tell him that this is weird and that we're not supposed to give things up for Advent, only Lent. Which one of us is right? (Florida)

A: Strictly speaking, Catholics aren’t required to “give anything up” for Advent. And even while the practice of taking on an additional, personal Lenten penance is a well-established and praiseworthy custom, Catholics technically aren’t required to do anything extra for Lent beyond the usual fasting and abstinence from meat (see Canon 1251 of the Code of Canon Law).

However, your dad also isn’t being “weird” for deciding to take on an additional penance for Advent. Although it’s not as common as a personal Lenten penance, it is still very much in keeping with the nature of the Advent season.

OSV NEWS PHOTO | BOB ROLLER

The first candle on an Advent wreath is seen lit during Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Prescott, Ariz., Nov. 30, the first Sunday of Advent. The season of Advent is the church’s preparation for the commemoration of Christ’s birth. The candles in the wreath represent the four weeks of the season, with a new candle lit each Sunday before Christmas.

Of course, Advent and Lent are different liturgical seasons with their own distinct meanings. Yet they actually do parallel each other in many ways. Both seasons are seasons of preparation: in Lent, we prepare for our annual remembrance of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection; and during Advent we prepare ourselves for the celebration of his first coming to earth as man at Christmas. Advent also calls to mind the big-picture need for preparation for Christ’s second coming in glory at the end of time – as well as the constant need for readiness to receive him daily into our hearts, minds and souls.

In a similar vein, both seasons are also seasons of repentance. During Lent we recall our sins so as to be truly sorry for them in memory and gratitude for what Christ suffered to redeem us. And in Advent, we renew our resolve to turn away from sin as a way to prepare for the coming of the Lord.

This Advent theme of repentance is especially present in the Gospel reading for the second Sunday of Advent, wherein we hear how “John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Mt 3:1-2).

The penitential nature of Advent is reflected in other aspects of our liturgy. For example, as in Lent, the liturgical color for Advent is purple, which signifies sorrow for sin and repentance. Although the Third Sunday of Advent has the specific theme of joy at the closeness of Christ’s coming – it is often called “Gaudete Sunday,” from the Latin word for “rejoice” – the liturgical color is rose, which communicates a more restrained and subdued joy than the white used for the full rejoicing proper to the Christmas and Easter seasons.

Likewise, during Advent, church decorations are to be pared down, as per the General Instruction of the Roman Missal: “During Advent the floral decoration of the altar should be marked by a moderation suited to the character of this time of year, without expressing in anticipation the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord” (GIRM, No. 305). And at Advent Sunday Masses, the joyful “Gloria” prayer is omitted (GIRM, No. 53)

There is a venerable Latin saying that I think applies here: “lex orandi, lex credendi,” which roughly translates to “we pray as we believe.” This means that our liturgy represents the truths of our faith, which we are to strive to interiorize ever more deeply.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us specifically with respect to Advent: “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming” (CCC, No. 524).

So on a practical spiritual level, taking on some additional penance for Advent – whether this be making a sacrifice, taking more time for prayer or spiritual reading or committing to additional works of charity – can be an excellent way to enter more deeply into the spirit of the season.

Nov. 28, 2025
By: Jenna Marie Cooper

Q: In my rosary group, I suggested we pray for all those experiencing feelings of hopelessness. My friend said that since it's the month of November, we should pray for the dead who are feeling hopeless. I've never heard of this intention before. Is it legit?

A: I think your friend’s heart is certainly in the right place. But while Catholics are called to pray for the dead – and while it’s a wonderful spiritual work of mercy to pray for living persons currently feeling hopeless – our Catholic teaching does not allow for the logical possibility of hopeless deceased souls who can still benefit from our prayers.

As you probably already know, we as Catholics believe that a soul faces one of three possibilities after death: They will go to either heaven, hell or purgatory. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven, through a purification, or immediately, or immediate and everlasting damnation” (CCC, No. 1022).

Heaven is the state of perfect happiness that comes from full union with God, the source of all goodness. The saints in heaven (and everyone in heaven is technically a saint, whether or not that are formally canonized with that title) are obviously not hopeless, since in heaven all true hope is ultimately fulfilled. Consequently, the saints have no need of our prayers – instead, we ask them to prayerfully intercede for us here on earth.

Of course, not very person – not even every basically good person – will be living a saintly life at the time of their death, and therefore might not be spiritually prepared to encounter God face-to-face. God still mercifully provides for these souls with the state of purgatory, which is a period of purification and healing of the wounds left behind from repented sins.

We believe that purgatory does involve a degree of suffering, but that this suffering is “entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC, No. 1031). We on earth can help the souls in purgatory through our prayers and sacrifices. However, while the souls in purgatory can use our prayers, this is not because they feel hopeless! All souls in purgatory are destined for heaven, and so the state of purgatory is a fundamentally hopeful one.

OSV NEWS PHOTO | GREGORY A. SHEMITZ
Worshippers attend an All Souls’ Day Mass in the Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel and Mausoleum at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram, N.Y., Nov. 2.

With respect to hell, as we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin” [that is, unrepented moral sin] descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs” (CCC, No.1035).

It’s important to keep in mind that the souls in hell suffer not because God is vengeful and eager to punish, but rather because such souls have freely rejected God through their own embracing of sin. God does not actively send souls to hell as much as he simply respects their choices.

Unlike purgatory, which is a journey toward something greater, hell is an absolutely permanent state. In the Divine Comedy, the poet Dante famously imagines the gates of hell as bearing the inscription: “Abandon all hope, you who enter here,” and this is theologically accurate. Because of hell’s finality, the souls there cannot benefit from anyone’s prayers for them.

Still, in many cases we don’t know the eternal destiny of any particular soul. Even for those who lived very sinful lives, we can always hope that they turned toward God in their final moments. And so it’s safe to say that as far as we should be concerned, prayers for the dead are never wasted.

Nov. 21, 2025
By: Jenna Marie Cooper

Q: From what I learned in history class, indulgences caused major issues for the church in the 16th century and was one of the main reasons why the Protestant Reformation happened. If indulgences were that much of a problem, then why does the church still have them?

A: I think a traditional Latin maxim applies here: “abusus non tollit usum,” or “abuse does not take away the proper use.” Or, in other words, just because a thing may have been abused in the past or may have the potential to be misused, it does not logically follow that the very same thing can never have its legitimate uses.
For some background, indulgences are a special favor granted by the church on the occasion of completing some pious work – like saying a certain prayer or visiting a particular shrine, etc. – which brings about “remission in the sight of God of the temporal punishment due for sins, the guilt of which has already been forgiven” (See Canon 992 of the Code of Canon Law).

This means that a person’s soul is eased in their sufferings in purgatory or, in the case of a plenary indulgence, a soul is freed from purgatory. A faithful Catholic may earn an indulgence for themselves, or they may apply it to a person who has already died.

The causes of the Protestant Reformation are complicated, involving various social, political and religious influences. But relevant to our discussion here, although historians debate some of the details, the general story is that in the 1500s money was being collected for indulgences, in part to fund the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

In theory it was possible to defend this as the indulgence being attached to the pious work of almsgiving, but in practice the promotion of indulgences in this way took on a dangerously commercial tone.

The then-Catholic monk Martin Luther was scandalized by what he saw as the sale of indulgences, and famously criticized the practice in his “95 theses.” Although Luther may have originally intended to challenge abuses from the point of view of a reform-minded but faithful Catholic, he did depart from the church’s doctrine on various points and of course eventually wound up separating altogether from communion with the Catholic Church.

CNS PHOTO | SAMUEL H. KRESS COLLECTION VIA NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
This is a bronze coin titled “Dante before the Mountain of Purgatory [reverse], late 15th century.”

Yet even if indulgences were used badly at previous points of history, when understood properly they still have value for the church even today. And in fact, indulgences are tied in to many key Catholic doctrines such as the nature of purgatory and the communion of saints.

We believe that purgatory is a state a soul enters after death when that soul is ultimately destined for heaven but is not yet prepared to enter into the full presence of God. The so-called “temporal punishment due to sin” that happens in purgatory is not so much “punishment” as it is a process of purification and the healing of spiritual wounds, which even repented and forgiven sins can leave behind.Those of us still on earth can actively strive for a deeper sense of conversion and detachment from sin, but the souls in purgatory can no longer help themselves in this way and are dependent on our prayers and penances.

But because many of the saints were holy beyond what was needed for their own salvation, the church sees their “extra” holiness as being “stored up” in what we call the church’s treasury of grace.

Because Jesus gave the church, through St. Peter, the power to “bind and loose” spiritual things in both earth and heaven, (Mt 16:19) the church is able to apply this “stored up” grace to souls more in need. This distribution of grace is what happens when an indulgence is granted. See Paragraphs 1471-1479 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for a fuller explanation.

However, indulgences can only be earned, never sold; and today the church avoids any association of indulgences with the exchange of money.

Nov. 14, 2025
By: Jenna Marie Cooper


Q: At my parish, we pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. But at the other parish in town, they pray for vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate, marriage, and religious life. How many vocations are there actually?

A: This is a tricky question to answer, because in our Catholic tradition the word “vocation” can mean different
things in different contexts.

The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word “vocare,” or “to call.” A vocation is literally “a calling,” which in a Catholic sense typically means a calling from God.
The first and most foundational vocation for any Christian is our baptismal vocation, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes as “a vocation to holiness and to the mission of evangelizing the world” (CCC, No. 1533).

However, often the term “vocation” is used to describe a Catholic’s state in life, or a permanent life commitment that involves a certain role within the church. But even here, there are a few different ways to categorize the various states in life.

One way is to divide Catholics between ordained clergy– that is, bishops, priests and deacons – and non-ordained laity (see Canon 207 of the Code of Canon Law). By this standard, anyone who has not received the sacrament of holy orders would be considered “lay.”

We can also categorize states in life according to a three-fold division of: the ordained clergy, those in consecrated life and the laity who are neither ordained nor living in a public state of consecrated life.

In this latter, more robust sense of the word “laity,” the Vatican II document “Lumen Gentium” describes the lay faithful as having a distinct vocational mission of their own: “They are called there [i.e., in the ordinary circumstances of secular life] by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven.”

Lay people may also be called to marriage and family life, which naturally comes with its own joys, responsibilities and potential for bearing a Christian witness to the world.

“Consecrated life” is an umbrella category that encompasses a variety of specific forms, from religious brothers and sisters engaged in active apostolates like teaching or serving the poor, to monks and nuns dedicated entirely to prayer, to lesser-known forms like secular institutes, consecrated virgins and hermits.

However, members of the faithful in all forms of consecrated life have the special vocation of imitating Christ’s own way of life more radically and be “witnesses to the fact of a new and eternal life acquired by the redemption of Christ,” and foretell “the future resurrection and the glory of the heavenly kingdom.”CNS PHOTO | LOLA GOMEZ
The Roman collar of a priest is seen in a file photo.

Yet even when speaking specifically about “state in life” vocations, it’s difficult to give an exact number for this since there are some instances when the various states of life can overlap. For example, some clergy, such as permanent deacons or priests from Eastern Catholic Churches, might also be married. (Though while an already-married man might receive holy orders in some circumstances, it’s worth noting that once ordained, clergy cannot marry or re-marry if their spouse dies.) Priests can also be members of institutes of consecrated life, giving them a dual vocation to the priesthood and consecrated life in their community.

But it’s important to keep in mind that the concept of “vocation” is ultimately not about sorting ourselves or others into boxes, but rather is about discerning and embracing God’s will for us in our own unique life situation – whether or not that fits tidily into one of the above-mentioned categories.

In fact, many of our greatest saints “broke the mold” in their vocation stories. Some of them responded to a call to pioneer new forms of Christian life, while others obeyed God’s call to a radical Christian life amid difficult, unusual or novel circumstances.

Nov. 7, 2025
By: Jenna Marie Cooper


Q: In an earlier column, you said that purgatory was a state outside of time and that we can't talk about how long someone spends in purgatory in terms of years. But then why do you sometimes see old holy cards that say a prayer is worth 100 days indulgence or something similar?

A: Purgatory is indeed a state that exists apart from the linear time we experience in our lives on earth, and therefore we cannot truly speak about how long a soul spends in purgatory according to a literal measure of days, months or years. Still, there are other reasons for sometimes using time-based terminology when discussing purgatory.

God is always ready and willing to forgive whatever sins we have committed as long as we turn to him in a spirit of sincere repentance. Yet as we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence.” Aside from the possibility of losing our place in heaven “every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory.”

This paragraph of the Catechism goes on to note that the sufferings of purgatory, which are meant to heal the woundedness of soul that comes from a disordered love of created things, are called the “temporal punishment of sin.” The word “temporal” refers to the concept of time, in the sense of purgatory being “time-limited,” as opposed to the eternal suffering of hell.

There are a few ways to, in a manner of speaking, “shorten one’s time” in purgatory. One way is to work to break our attachments to sin while still on earth, which can be done by cultivating habits of prayer, taking on penitential practices and sacrificial works of charity, and by patiently accepting any suffering that comes our way.

For our departed friends and relatives already in purgatory who can no longer do these things for themselves, we can hasten their journey toward heaven by praying for them. Additionally, we can also earn indulgences for either ourselves or for those in purgatory.
OSV NEWS PHOTO | BOB ROLLER
Women pray during a Mass for the feast of Corpus Christi at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles June 22, during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
An indulgence is a special favor, granted by the church on the occasion of completing some act of piety (like saying a particular prayer or visiting a certain church), which either partially or completely remits the temporal punishment due for one’s sins.

The church is able to do this because of the “power of binding and loosing,” which Jesus gave to the church; and also because many of the saints were holy and virtuous above and beyond what was needed for their own salvation. This “extra” holiness of the saints is called the “treasury of grace,” and the church can apply it to souls more in need (see paragraphs 1475-1479 of the Catechism for reference).

A plenary indulgence resolves all the purification needed and frees a soul from purgatory; whereas a partial indulgence eases the suffering of purgatory in a less than complete way.

When you see old references to an indulgence for a certain number of days or years, this indicates that it is a partial indulgence. The mention of earthly time periods was meant as a way to communicate that the indulgence would have the effect of the amount of patient sufferings or good works that a person could bear or do in that timeframe if they were on earth. For example, a 100 days’ indulgence would impart the same amount of grace a person could earn from doing 100 days’ worth of good works.

This way of counting “time off” purgatory could be misleading, so Pope St. Paul VI decided to abolish the practice of quantifying indulgences in terms of earthly measurements of time in 1967 with the Apostolic Constitution “Indulgentiarum Doctrina.” The church still grants partial indulgences, but we now entrust the exact “amounts” of grace to God’s mysterious providence.

Oct. 31, 2025
By: Jenna Marie Cooper


Q: At Mass we typically pray for the souls of those in purgatory, often mentioning names of persons long since passed, sometimes 10 or even 20 years ago. Is there any way to know how long a person could be in purgatory? Could a deceased person still be in purgatory 20 years later? (Indiana)

A: Generally, there is no clear way to know whether or not someone is still in purgatory.

There is one major exception, of course. That is, the church’s process for canonizing saints is essentially a long discernment of whether or not theOSV NEWS PHOTO | RON PORTER, PIXABAY
A wooden sculpture suggesting the souls in purgatory is featured in this undated file photo. person in question is actually in heaven. If it is determined that the individual is now in heaven, it logically follows that they would no longer be in purgatory – if they were ever even there in the first place.

The church’s canonization process involves multiple stages, beginning with a careful review of the proposed saint’s life, works and writings, to ensure that they were faithful to the church’s teachings and lived a life of “heroic virtue.”

Following this, the church looks for two miracles attributed to the proposed saint’s intercession, as a sign that this person truly is in heaven. Any reported miracle is then carefully scrutinized by a team of experts to confirm that it is indeed a miracle, i.e. that it cannot be attributed to any natural cause. After the first verified miracle, the person is beatified and given the title “Blessed”; after a second miracle they are canonized and declared a saint.

The whole process can take decades and requires a great deal of dedication and resources, which is why the canonization process is generally only applied in cases where officially declaring a deceased member of the faithful a saint will have some special benefit for the church in general. Obviously, the canonization process is not something you would invoke out of mere curiosity as to whether a person is still in purgatory.

Still, it’s good to keep in mind that in our Catholic theology, any person now in heaven – whether they are known or unknown, famous or obscure – is technically a saint. This is one reason why we celebrate the solemnity of All Saints on Nov. 1 every year, even though individual canonized saints often already have their own feast days on the calendar. On All Saints’ Day, we commemorate all the members of the faithful who are actually in heaven, although most of these saints are known only to God.

With respect to the other part of your question, it is entirely possible that a person may still be in purgatory20 years after their death, or even longer. Reading your question, I was reminded of the apparitions of Our Lady
of Fatima, where one of the visionaries reported that Our Lady told her that a recently deceased teenager from their village would be in purgatory until the end of the world!

But purgatory, like heaven and hell, is a state that exists outside of our earthly experience of time. So even if there was an easy way to determine whether or not someone is currently in purgatory, we couldn’t really gauge that soul’s spiritual progress there in terms of months, days or years.

I can understand why you might want to know whether someone is still in purgatory, especially when it comes to departed loved ones. Yet in our practical life of faith, we can still carry on peacefully even with this ambiguity.

For one thing, prayers for the dead are never wasted. If we pray for the repose of the soul for someone already in heaven who is thus no longer in need of prayer, we can be confident that those graces will be given to a soul in purgatory that does need it. Since there is really nothing to lose by praying for the dead, we can still fruitfully pray for the faithful departed, even if many years have passed since their death.

Oct. 24, 2025
By: Jenna Marie Cooper


Q: In families that are suffering from generational curses or that are involved in a lot of occult practices, why doesn't baptism free their infants from the power of demons? (Ohio)

A: The short answer is that I wouldn’t be so quick to assume that baptism doesn’t do this.

Often when people think of exorcism, what first comes to mind is the over-the-top Hollywood version. Or on a related note but more accurately, they might think of what we call the church’s ritual of “major exorcism” or “solemn exorcism,” which can be celebrated only by a specially-mandated exorcist priest with his bishop’s permission. A major exorcism is ordered to casting out demons in those who are clearly suffering from true possession, as verified by obvious signs after a process of careful discernment.

But exorcism in general is a broader category. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it: “When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism” (CCC 1673).

Besides the rite of major exorcism, the church also has several “minor exorcisms” in her treasury of prayers. A minor exorcism is a prayer for protection against and deliverance from evil spirits which can be prayed by any priest in scenarios other than demonic possession. The sacrament of baptism itself has an exorcistic character, since, as the Catechism puts it: “baptism signifies liberation from sin and from its instigator the devil” (CCC 1237).

When a person is baptized, they – or their parents or godparents on their behalf, if they are an infant and unable to speak for themselves – promise explicitly to “reject Satan (…) and all his works.”
Exorcism is a rarely used rite in the Catholic Church. Under canon law only those priests who receive permission from his bishop can perform an exorcism. A priest performing the rite wears a purple stole. A crucifix and holy water are among the religious items used in the rite.
Furthermore, the Rite of Baptism also contains a minor exorcism as part of the ritual. One option for this in the Rite of Baptism of infants reads:


Even beyond baptism, the other sacraments can have exorcistic effects, insofar as they free us from sin (such as in the sacrament of penance) and strengthen us against temptations and the lure of darkness. In fact, the sacraments in and of themselves are more powerful against Satan than the ritual for solemn exorcism.

When it comes to things such as curses and other frankly supernatural activity related to involvement with the occult, the church does not have much clear-cut official teaching. Much of the details of what is known about these phenomena comes from the personal observations of practicing exorcists – which can be useful as far as it goes, but is not on the same level as the official dogma we would find in places like the catechism or other teaching documents from the church.
Still, the spiritual common sense around such things is that the baptized, who are delivered from the powers of darkness by their baptism, normally will not experience any extraordinary demonic afflictions unless they do something of their own free will to “open a door,” such as attempting to engage in the supernatural through illicit means or committing certain serious sins.

While God in his mysterious providence might permit someone to experience demonic torments through no fault of their own in very rare cases (as happened in the lives of some canonized saints) for the most part a baptized Catholic who strives to avoid sin and who regularly receives the sacraments won’t be needing the specific ministry of an exorcist.

Oct. 17, 2025
By: Jenna Marie Cooper


Q: I read online that a married Catholic needs their bishop's permission to separate from their spouse. My husband abandoned our family to live with his girlfriend. How can I get our bishop to make him come back home?

A: I’m sorry you’re going through such a difficult situation. I don’t know exactly where you were finding your information online, so I can’t comment on the accuracy of what you read.

In broad terms, it is true that the church’s law obligates spouses to maintain a common marital home under normal circumstances. As we read in Canon 1151 of the Code of Canon Law: “Spouses have the obligation and the right to maintain their common conjugal life, unless a lawful reason excuses them.”

Likewise – very strictly speaking – in principle, canon law also envisions a Catholic as needing their bishop’s permission to separate from their spouse. However, at the same time the law also provides a fairly wide “loophole.”

A relevant citation here is Canon 1153, 1, which tells us: “A spouse who occasions grave danger of soul or body to the other or to the children, or otherwise makes the common life unduly difficult, provides the other spouse with a reason to leave, either by a decree of the local Ordinary or, if there is danger in delay, even on his or her own authority.”

Obviously, this means that a Catholic in a physically dangerous abusive situation could leave the marital home as soon as they were able, without asking any kind of permission. But canon law also allows a faithful Catholic to separate “on his or her own authority” for less dramatic reasons. For instance, a spouse who was living a seriously sinful or otherwise gravely disordered life (e.g., suffer-
ing from a severe addiction) and providing a scandalous example for their children would be a cause of moral danger or “danger of soul,” which would justify the other spouse leaving on the basis of their own discernment.
OSV NEWS PHOTO | JIM YOUNG, REUTERS
A couple is pictured in a file photo walking along Gillson Beach holding hands as the sun sets in Wilmette, Ill.
In the vast majority of cases, when a devout Catholic chooses to separate, it is for one of these justifiable reasons. This is why, practically speaking, most dioceses do not have a set process for obtaining the local bishop’s permission for leaving the marital home. (Though whether or not dioceses should have some protocol in place for this is perhaps another question.)

Your concerns are approaching this issue from somewhat of the opposite perspective. With respect to spouses’ responsibilities, the law tells them what their obligations are. Naturally, it is to be expected that a Catholic serious about their faith will take these obligations to heart and strive to fulfill them. And besides being illicit, abandoning the marital home for adulterous purposes is clearly a grave sin which the church would never condone. However, canon law does not give bishops coercive power to force spouses to fulfill their responsibility of marital common life.

Part of this is a matter of logistics and practical reality. That is, bishops do not have anything like a diocesan police force that is empowered to compel individuals to remain in places they wish to leave.
On a pastoral level, bishops and even parish priests can of course exhort and encourage a spouse who leaves their family for sinful reasons to return to their marital home. And if the abandoning spouse continues in their illicit separation, canon law directs them to refrain from receiving holy Communion (Canon 916); and depending on the specific circumstances, they might even be appropriately denied Communion if they approach the sacrament anyway (Canon 915).

Yet the Catch-22 here is that only a faithful Catholic would be interested in listening to their pastors, obeying canon law, avoiding sin and receiving the sacraments. But a person who willingly abandons their spouse for sinful reasons is probably not a Catholic who takes the faith seriously enough to be swayed by their pastor’s admonishments or to be concerned about the sacramental consequences of their actions.