Category Tuition

The ties between the living and the dead

Quels liens entre les vivants et les défunts ? Interview de don Patrick Pinard-Legry pour RCF Sanctuaires normands.
Death is merciless. It forces us to face the wall of the absence of a person who used to be part of our life, sometimes for many many years. We can no longer hear them or hug them. It is no longer possible to ask for their advice, to give them love or receive love from them. Apparently, all the links are severed. Is that so certain?

What does the Church have to say about the salvation of children who died unchristened?

Que dit l'Eglise sur le salut des enfants morts sans baptême ?
Many bereaved parents whose infant died unchristened wonder about their outcome. Regardless of the cause of the death (miscarriage, abortion or stll-birth), can a child be saved if they were not christened? What is the Church's official position on the salvation of infants who died before they had a chance to receive baptism? We asked dom Jean Pateau, the abbot at Notre-Dame de Fontgombault, who wrote "Le Salut des enfants morts sans baptême" [The salvation of children who died unchristened"] (Artège, 2017).

Purgatory is full of light

Le purgatoire est lumineux, Pèlerinages du Ciel, 2 novembre 2024. 
Enseignement donné par Don Paul Denizot, recteur du sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Montligeon.
Long considered outdated in the Church, Purgatory is now attracting renewed interest. It is also eliciting reactions, some of them very hostile. However, far from the daunting representations it's been saddled with, Purgatory is full of light.

Where are our deceased?

Où sont nos défunts ? Interview de don Thomas Lapenne pour RCF
When we have lost a loved one we often wonder where they are, what they became. Are they happy where they are? RCF interviewed don Thomas Lapenne for the program Sanctuaires Normands.

How should private revelations be appreciated?

Que penser des révélations privées ?

Some prophecies, apparitions and messages from Christ, Mary or the saints, often apocalyptic in tone, seem to be have become very popular. Over the past twenty centuries, the Church has recognized only a handful of these and dismissed a significant…

Is confession necessary before dying?

Faut-il se confesser avant de mourir ?

On the threshold of death, or when we’re thinking about death, certain things can weigh heavily on us. For example, a forgiveness not given or a bad deed, an infidelity, a hurtful phrase, a refusal to love, etc. Is it…

What is the position of the Church regarding cremation?

Que pense l'Eglise de la crémation ?

Cremation is getting more and more popular in France, with over 40% deceased people incinerated nowadays. Yet this funeral practice raises some questions, especially in the French culture where burial used to be common practice. How does the Church regard…

Extreme unction vs. anointing the sick

Extreme-onction ou sacrement des malades

Is extreme unction the same thing as anointing the sick? Vatican II has broadened the understanding of the sacrament of extreme unction. As a result, today the sacrament of anointing the sick is no longer restricted to the dying. Interviewed…

Do animals go to paradise?

Les animaux vont-ils au paradis
Heaven is the fulfillment of our deepest longings, it is a state of supreme, definitive happiness. Therefore, we could logically claim that if our pet's presence is conditional on our definitive happiness, we will find our pet in Heaven. Don Jacques Vautherin answers.