Common Catholic Questions & Answers

Have Catholic questions?

When you're a beginning Catholic, questions arise. Frequently. Too often, the answers aren't easy to find.

Before I decided to join the Catholic Church, I had many questions about Catholicism. It turns out that many of them were fairly common Catholic questions. But even so, I had to do a lot of digging to find many of the answers.

Most sources for questions & answers about Catholicism refer you to the Catechism or other Church documents for sources. This can be a problem for those becoming Catholic: before accepting the authority of the Catholic Church, one doesn't see those sources as being authoritative!

To ease your entry into the Catholic Church, here are some of the more common questions about the Catholic Church.

I use Scriptural sources to provide answers for these Catholic questions, where possible. This approach is more neutral for many who have questions about Catholicism.


Who founded the Catholic Church?

Jesus founded the Catholic Church. The New Testament shows that Christ deliberately created a community of disciples to carry on his mission in the world. This community is the Catholic Church, which has existed since the time of Christ and the Apostles.
[More about the Catholic Church's origin...]

What is the source of the Church's authority?

Christ himself is the source of the Church's authority. Christ founded the Church, created its structure, placed Peter at the head, gave it his own authority, identified it with himself, promised to be with it forever, and sent his Spirit (the Holy Spirit) to guide it.
[More about Church authority...]

What do Catholics mean by "Tradition"?

Catholics refer to something called Tradition. What is it? Where does it come from? And why would anyone care about anything except the Bible, anyway?
[More about Catholic Tradition...]

Are the Pope and the Church really "Infallible"?

The concept of infallibility is one of the most common Catholic questions. It's widely misunderstood. But this topic, properly understood, is an important part of a strong faith in the Risen Lord!
[More about Infallibility...]

Shouldn't I just follow my conscience?

Understanding conscience is essential to the moral life. Strengthen your faith with solid Catholic teaching on moral conscience.
[Read about the Catholic teaching about conscience...]

When was the Bible written?

The Holy Bible contains many individual books, and was written over a period of about twelve or thirteen centuries. All of the New Testament books, though, were written during a short period of time.
[Find the answer to When was the Bible written?]

What's different about the Catholic Bible?

The Catholic Bible has been the same for nearly 2,000 years. We use the same set of Old Testament books as Jesus and the Apostles used. But Protestant reformers rejected some of those original books in the 1500s, creating a Protestant Bible.
[More about the books of the Catholic Bible...]

What is Purgatory?

What does the term Purgatory mean? Where does it come from—is it Scriptural? And do we still believe in Purgatory?
[Read more about Catholic Purgatory]


Other Catholic questions & answers are added frequently, so check back soon for updates!

A group called Catholics United for the Faith (CUF) has a wonderful collection of reliable answers to Catholic questions. They're a great resource; use them, too!


Be sure to return to our home page to see the other articles about the Catholic faith for you!