Pope John Paul II whipped himself with a belt and slept on the floor as acts of penitence and to bring him closer to Christian perfection, according to a new book by the Polish prelate spearheading ...

A new book about Pope John Paul II alleges that the pope engaged in self-flagellation in order to feel closer to God. Does Catholicism teach a proper way to whip yourself? No. The Catholic Church does ...

According to the Wikipedia entry on Opus Dei: "Mortification [is] the voluntary offering up of discomfort or pain to God; this includes fasting, or in some circumstances self-inflicted pain such as ...