This seems to be a pretty common position that RC's take. Why is defense of your church defense of your faith?
Namely, to remove the last bastion of opposition to their own pet perversions, ones which other Churches have 'compromised' on, but the Catholic Church has not.
I think love of your church may have altered your perception. All the great life issues we agree about really don't get supported by your church when the big political forces get involved.
One example would be obama visiting Notre Dame. A group of committed pro-life RC's protested, but the support was for obama. Another example would be politicians who regularly support pro-abortion policies and are never publicly excommunicated. A final example would be Teddy Kennedy's funeral. If ever a politician existed who was more pro-abortion I've yet to see him, but he sure did get a fancy in church funeral.
IOW, there are some very serious pro-life supporters in your church, but relying on the RCC as an ally is questionable.
Because it is the Church, and even with all its historical failings, it is the vehicle which has brought even the Protestant churches into being. Otherwise, (had it been God's will), the last Christian would have been lion food in Rome.
You can claim that defending your home is not the same as defending your family, but without that structure, that defense of your family becomes far more problematical.
You do a great job of jumping topics, so why don't you get all of them out and we can deal with them at once.
First, in the matter of the abortionists out there, be it Teddy, or whomever, I have no, nor do I claim to have any knowledge of whether they repented in the last few seconds of their life. The status of their souls is between them and God, and not for me to judge. I can find their actions during their lives to be reprehensible, but my opinion does not weigh in the final judgement which remains between them and God.
So they got a big 'sendoff', one which comes with money and power, much the same as any other funeral for the wealthy or powerful, (those who can afford a nice box covered with flowers often go the extra mile), but will that make any difference in their destination? As I said, that is between them and God.
When Obama visited (spoke at) Notre Dame, I protested, as did many. But the presence of a head of state speaking there did not set Church policy toward abortion, nor did it change it.
Excommunication is a process undertaken above my pay grade. Those who openly support abortion in public office fool no one by making nominal claims to be Catholic. Their actions speak louder than their words. I do not defend them any more than a pedophile, but you would have me discard the entire institution over the actions of a few.
Again, you would have me abandon my faith, my church, the church of my ancestors for a thousand plus years over the actions of a few sinners I don't even know, personally?
No. No more than I would abandon the Republic because those in power have abused and distorted it. If there are problems, they can be fixed. That that may not be a fast-moving process may grieve some, but it is the very resistance to change with whim which makes either what it is.
What, if anything, do you believe in? Or do you readily abandon anything and everything when there is a problem?