Anger at Vatican plan to ban altar girls

Gaurdian (UK) ^ | 24 September 2003 | John Hooper

[RosieCotton]

They don't have enough priests and they are working very hard to alienate their largest group of active members, women.

Speak for yourself...I see this as a good thing. Women have plenty of other ways to serve.

Men and women both have roles within the Church - and in society, for that matter. They're different. That's not a bad thing.

[Petronski]

Bigot.

[Benrand]

I just find it ODD that there are girls doing the job of altar boys. It is part of the hippy dippy stuff that started in when I was in Cath grade school in the late 70's...kumbaya and all that, the holding hands.

The thing that got me really incensed was a younger priest, right after 911, going on about how we essentially deserved it, the Golden Calf and so forth. I am not a Bible scholar so I'm not sure what chapter and verse, but to choose that as the basis of your homily was offensive. There is a certain leftism in the Church, IMO. The Church helps many but there is too much lefty self-sacrifice for my tastes.

[fml]

And this bothers you, why?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

They're different. That's not a bad thing.

It should be a reason for rejoicing!

[beelzepug]

"my eyes have still not recovered.as"

Delete the final 'as'. Like I said, my eyes.

[A CA Guy]

Suicidal? Catholicism was the original Christian faith starting with the Jews who followed Christ.

Other main branches broke off and began when they wanted to have a church where there sin is accepted.
Like when the King of England wanted a divorce and the Pope said no.

[RosieCotton]

It should be a reason for rejoicing!

Exactly!

[Lorianne]

It does not keep young women orthodox.

While this is true, it is also true that banning them will not keep them Catholic. And it will not encourage them to raise their children Catholic.

[aruanan]

This seems to be a suicidal religion.

Nothing like being really out of touch.

[aruanan]

Thanks for a cogent, straightforward response.

[stanz]

That all pales in comparison to the sex scandals that the church finds itself embroiled in. That should be the Vatican's top priority, not how to make the church even less attractive to future parishioners.

[wideawake]

They don't have enough priests and they are working very hard to alienate their largest group of active members, women.

Any woman who is "alienated" by an all-male acolytate is equally alienated by an all-male priesthood.

If certain women believe that Church is meant as an exercise in affirmative action identity politics, then they were never Catholics in the first place.

No woman in my family is fooled by leftist self-worship masquerading as Catholic worship.

[Petronski]

That all pales in comparison to the sex scandals that the church finds itself embroiled in.

The godless want the Church to do nothing else because of the scandals of a few. Sorry, but it's not going to happen.

[RosieCotton]

That all pales in comparison to the sex scandals that the church finds itself embroiled in. That should be the Vatican's top priority, not how to make the church even less attractive to future parishioners.

Bringing the Church back to her roots, cracking down on abuses (even small ones) is a good way to flush out the bad priests. It's a start.

I'll leave a more detailed response to someone else.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

The church does need to address the pedophilia issue, but it must not become paralyzed and neglect the needs of the entire church. If that happens, then millions of people will suffer.

[Lorianne]

It doesnt' "bother" me, it fascinates me. It's fascninating to contemplate the logic of an organization utterly dependent for its survivial on women (and on non-European peoples) go out of its way to offend those very people. These are the very people who will make the decision whether to bring the next generation up Catholic.

[wideawake]

That all pales in comparison to the sex scandals that the church finds itself embroiled in.

The scandals are part of a long-simmering neglect of important theological issues regarding sex and sexuality.

The same people who agitated for altar girls are the same people who agitate for the Church to "be welcoming" to homosexuality and the same people who introduced altar girls into the churches are the people who shifted pedophile priests from parish to parish.

As I said, it is all of a piece. When the priesthood and the sacraments are not taken seriously, traditional morality is not taken seriously either.

There is a parable about the servant who was faithful in small things.

[Petronski]

Agreed. But the godless want to use an accusing finger about the scandals of a minority to isolate and paralyze the entire institution. That's not going to happen.

[Lorianne]

The proof will be in the next generation.