Returning Catholics FAQs: When Bad Things Happen to Good People

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

Why does God let bad things happen to good people?

This is one that many of us struggle with. If God loves us all that much, why doesn’t he protect us from the evil and pain of the...