The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-02-10

I. When does a sin of detraction
become mortal sin? 2. Why are the
people allowed to stand so close to
the confessional that they can hear
every word that Is said to the priest.
While we are sure the priest will not
repeat anything told him are we so
sure that the people outside will not7
l. A person is guilty of detraction
who unjustly deprives another of his
good name in his absence. This sin,
therefore, is contrary to justice and
charity. It is a mortal sin whenever
we make known grave or secret sin
of another with malicious intent or to
his serious injury. Even the dis
closure of another's venial sin or of
hidden defect for which he is not
responsible may do him serious injury
and is considered a mortal sin on the
part of the detractor. However, the
making known of even grievous sin
of another may not always be mortal
for some times no serious harm re-
suits from it. On the whole detrac-
ton should be avoided even though
it's consequences are not likely to be
serious. 2. People are not allowed to
stand so close to the confessional that
they can hear what is said in it, and as
general rule they do not do so.
With the ordinary closed confessional
it is not easy to hear what passes be-
tween the confessor and penitent even
though one does stand rather close to
it. 1t usually happens that penitents
who are waiting their turn are too much
concerned with their own sins to pay
attention to what is going on in the
confessional If, however, a person,
by accident or design, does overhear
any sins confessed he is bound to
secrecy and cannot without a grave
violation Of the seal of confession
make them known to others.
I. When a lay person baptizes a
child in case Of necessity can he give
a Christian name to the child? 2.
When the name that was to be given
to the child was told to the priest but
he forgot to express it when baptizing
has the child received this name or
has he any name at all? What would
be the result If the name was not told
to the priest, but forgotten by all? 3.
Can a convert be baptized with the
same ceremony as child?
1. In all cases when name is given
to child at the time of it's baptism it
should be Christian name, the name
of a saint. A lay person who baptizes
a child may give the child name if
he wishes; but the giving of a name
is in no way essential TO the validity
of the baptism. 2. The ceremony of
baptism requires that the name be ex-
pressed several times during the con-
ferring of the rite by the officiating
priest. Before beginning the cere-
mony the priest always asks the name
of the child. 1t is possible, though not
probable, that in a certain case the
priest would forget to express the
name of the child in the baptismal
ceremony and in that case the child
would have the name given to it by
the parents though it would have no
baptismal name. The child must have
some name and If no name is given it
in baptism then the name by which it
is called by the parents is it's own.
If the name is left out in baptism this
omission does not effect the value of
the ceremony. 8. Yes.
Can man belong to the Socialist
party and be a good Catholic?
There can be only one answer to the
question, and that is negative. Cath
olics are bound to accept the teaching
of the Church in matters of faith and
morals. Now it is the official teaching
of the Church, as laid down by the
late Pope Leo XIII, in his Encyclical
on the Condition of Labor, that the
remedy which the Socialists propose
is manifestly against justice; that the
right of private ownership of the
means Of production, which the Social
lists propose to make over to the COM
munity, rests on the law of nature, to
which the authority of the Divine Law
adds its sanction, and is therefore
lnallenable; that the Socialists, in set
ting aside the parent and introducing
the providence of the State act against
natural Justice; finally, that the main
tenet of Socialism, the community of
goods, must be utterly rejected. The
answer would be different If Socialism
were merely an economic movement;
but none can read the works of it's
recognized leaders and opponents and
maintain that it has nothing to do with
religion.
I. What 10 q Novena? 2. Are we
obliged to drive TO different parish
in order to hear Mass every Sunday If
Mass is said only once month in our
parish church? 3. Why are dispersal
tons granted in cases of cousins who
marry for money or for love? u does
not seem right. They should not take
advantage of it If they knew they could