"Many U.S. Catholics Question Their Membership Amid Scandal"

leibowde84 said:

The Catholic Church refuses to change the priesthood from being so enticing for pedophiles

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Change the priesthood how?

"In the light of such teaching, this Dicastery, in accord with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, believes it necessary to state clearly that the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called "gay culture"

pcarl said:

Change the priesthood how?

"In the light of such teaching, this Dicastery, in accord with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, believes it necessary to state clearly that the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called "gay culture"

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For starters: they could make the priesthood less comfortable for predators by consistently reporting every abuse claim to police.

Being on the lunatic left-wing fringe of Catholicism, I'd love to see the day when we have a married clergy, whereas also one's sexual identity is not used as a barrier.

Homosexual tendencies are largely genetic, so if God made one gay, why is that such a bad thing. Many decades ago, so little was understood about homosexuality, but now we know much more about it biologically.

Therefore, I see no harm in having a gay priest, including if it was that the priest is a she.

So, when I become Pope...

9-10ths_Penguin said:

For starters: they could make the priesthood less comfortable for predators by consistently reporting every abuse claim to police.

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I think that has been in the works for quite some time now.

pcarl said:

Change the priesthood how?

"In the light of such teaching, this Dicastery, in accord with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, believes it necessary to state clearly that the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called "gay culture"

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By allowing priests to marry and to allow women into the priesthood.

pcarl said:

I think that has been in the works for quite some time now.

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Time will tell.

The Catholic Church has been under attack by evil influences from within and from without since Christ established it. But widespread abuses by some members of the clergy have been intentionally overlooked and/or addressed only in efforts to hide offenses rather than to confront them and eliminate the offenders. This foolish, cowardly, and generally despicable practice has metastasized to a hellish level. We not only have evil in the Church, but certain members of the hierarchy actively cooperating with it.

It is a betrayal to Our Lord and to the faithful. Aside from the physical and emotional harm it has done to so many innocent people and the spiritual harm it has done directly and indirectly, it has severely tarnished the public image of the Church.

But the Catholic Church is and always will be the mystical body of Christ. He is the head and we are members, as is described by Saint Paul. The Church will survive on earth to the final judgment and will forever be the Body of Christ. To leave it when it is being assaulted by evil would be to abandon Christ when He is being assaulted. It won’t always be this way. The Church will prevail. I would bet my immortal soul on that.

metis said:

So, when I become Pope...

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No, NO, I call first dibs, gotta break that glass ceiling.

A Vestigial Mote said:

You do realize that the damage is being done in the here-and-now, correct? That these children's psychological well-being and trust in humanity is being destroyed actively by these priests right here on Earth, right? And you're going to say we should rely on "God" to punish them once they are no longer part of the Earth? That its okay for these things to be kept secret/private because "God" is going to deal with it eventually? Good thing the law system doesn't defer to asinine ideas like this and actively deals with problems as they occur in life.

No matter what you assert, there is no guarantee that "God" is around to punish anyone. In fact, from all available evidence in examination of the reality we inhabit, we should certainly act as if there is no such entity. Making sure these kids are protected here, on Earth, within the only existence we are actually guaranteed, should be of utmost importance. The opinions of anyone who thinks otherwise should rightly be completely ignored.

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That's not my point. I wouldn't like to be in the shoes of any pedophile
priest now when so many are going to jail. But I see that as the least
of their worries.

PruePhillip said:

That's not my point. I wouldn't like to be in the shoes of any pedophile
priest now when so many are going to jail. But I see that as the least
of their worries.

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And my point will always be that that it is very probably the most of their worries. At death there is most likely nothing left to punish. From all indications within what we are able to experience, this is most likely the case. And expeditions into the "more" that exists beyond are necessarily conjecture and story-telling.

A Vestigial Mote said:

And my point will always be that that it is very probably the most of their worries. At death there is most likely nothing left to punish. From all indications within what we are able to experience, this is most likely the case. And expeditions into the "more" that exists beyond are necessarily conjecture and story-telling.

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Your "story tellers" (aka the bible) made a set of statements about the hereafter.
These are to be taken as articles of faith. But... the narrative of God's people, the
Promised Land and punishment and reward are MIRRORED in actual events and
locations. This "mirroring" for want of a better word, provides the symbolic language
or living metaphor to the bible.
Thus the chosen people are symbolized by the Jews: few in number, a gift to the
world, blessed and cursed, but redeemed and forgiven in the end - this is a perfect
symbol of individual lives under God's control. And it's historical.
And the Promised Land: Slaves in Egypt, then Canaan given to them, sent into
captivity for rebellion, ten tribes banished forever, total destruction and exile for two
thousand years, but returned to this land "when the Gentiles time is fulfilled." This is
not only historical, it is current events. This is the symbol of heaven.

And all of the above was told to the Jews four thousand years ago. Certainly it was
"story telling" but it wasn't fiction. God gives us stories, so too did Jesus.

PruePhillip said:

Your "story tellers" (aka the bible) made a set of statements about the hereafter.
These are to be taken as articles of faith. But... the narrative of God's people, the
Promised Land and punishment and reward are MIRRORED in actual events and
locations. This "mirroring" for want of a better word, provides the symbolic language
or living metaphor to the bible.
Thus the chosen people are symbolized by the Jews: few in number, a gift to the
world, blessed and cursed, but redeemed and forgiven in the end - this is a perfect
symbol of individual lives under God's control. And it's historical.
And the Promised Land: Slaves in Egypt, then Canaan given to them, sent into
captivity for rebellion, ten tribes banished forever, total destruction and exile for two
thousand years, but returned to this land "when the Gentiles time is fulfilled." This is
not only historical, it is current events. This is the symbol of heaven.

And all of the above was told to the Jews four thousand years ago. Certainly it was
"story telling" but it wasn't fiction. God gives us stories, so too did Jesus.

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And every religion before yours and running currently beside yours has their own stories, some even their own prophecies, and some even have actual/real places and events to point back to within their histories. You think your religion special in the ways you listed. I assure you it isn't. It just plain isn't. You can truly only pretend that it is... just like anyone else. There is quite a lot of pretending going on. Loads of it.

A Vestigial Mote said:

And every religion before yours and running currently beside yours has their own stories, some even their own prophecies, and some even have actual/real places and events to point back to within their histories. You think your religion special in the ways you listed. I assure you it isn't. It just plain isn't. You can truly only pretend that it is... just like anyone else. There is quite a lot of pretending going on. Loads of it.

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It was fantastic when Isaiah spoke of a second return of the people to Israel.
The Jews hadn't been in exile even once! And when some Jews first spoke
of a return to Turkish controlled Palestine the whole world mocked them.
These Jews were now citizens in their own countries. They weren't farmers
and they weren't soldiers - how will you make a nation? But they did. And the
Jews are still going home now, many of them facing renewed persecution.
It's an amazing story for a people brought out of nations that the bible said
were their "graves."
Do you have narratives like that you would like to share?