General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This anti-Catholic crap is getting to be annoying [View all]sendero
(28,552 posts)... I have stayed out until now but you've made that hard to do.
First, I do not condemn all Catholics, I agree with you that would be idiocy. Second, I agree the church does some good, although I don't think that is as true now as it was say 30 years ago.
Here's where we part ways in idea land. The pedophile priest mess has been going on for how long now? And what has really changed? The idea that in an organization as large as the church something like this could happen, totally agree. It's not the fact that it happened that I have a problem with, it is not even the horrid response by the church leaders that leave me cold. It's that decades later the same responses are still happening.
IMHO, when you make a mistake you own up to in and make amends at some point. All I see coming from the leaders of the church are excuses. I see no real cultural change in their attitude. They have the demeanor of folks who think they are above the rules, and I don't like that, not in the church, not in politicians, not in law enforcement, not in the corporate boardroom.
I will stop criticising the church when I see a real change in attitude. Perhaps the new pope will usher in such a change, but I won't hold my breath.
on edit: another reason I don't feel like condemning all Catholics is that as far as I can tell a large majority of them pretty much ignore the rhetoric coming out of Rome. Large numbers agree to disagree with the church on some of its basic doctrine. And I agree with that.