[goldstategop]

I don't think Mel abandoned Catholicism. He takes issue with the abandonment of many traditional rites by the Church simply to appear "progressive" when that happened back in the 60s. You can take issue with the watering down of Catholicism to be PC and still be a good Catholic. In fact Mel's the opposite of liberal Catholics who want the Church to become even more PC by accepting homosexuals as normal, sanctioning abortion, and ordaining women clergy. Mel's guilty of loving his faith and wanting the Church to be like it used to be and you don't see too many people do that these days and if you're for tradition you're considered a fodgey. That and not defining deviancy down is considered to be the worst crime in our post modern society.

[oldfart]

As a kid, I poked around in various churches, looking for something I could call my own. I tried the Baptists, the Nazarenes, Assembly of God and Methodism before I finally tried the Roman Catholic Church. Like Mel Gibson and a lot of others, the ritual and mystique of the Mass seemed to me to be the proper way to worship God.
Then came Vatican II and I was lost again.
Little by little though, I have found my way back to God by watching for those parishes that celebrate Mass in Latin.
I suppose it could be argued that my faith is superficial, that it is too dependent on pomp and ceremony. That may very well be true, though I'm probably not qualified to judge... but it's MY faith and it feels right to me. Evidently it feels right to Mr. Gibson and a growing number of others too.

[kimosabe31]

"I don't think Mel abandoned Catholicism."

Conservatives like Mel Gibson have not abandoned the Roman Catholic Church. The church has abandoned them. It must be heartbreaking for lifelong conservative Catholics to realize that their church has been highjacked by entrenched sexual deviates at all levels. Like a malignancy, they would rather see the church destroyed than to resign and leave.