[Wallace T.]

You should check Web sites such as www.traditio.com or www.catholictradition.com with respect to the discomfort of the traditionalist wing of Roman Catholicism with the mainstream of their church. They routinely denounce the current Mass as "Protestant, Masonic, and Satanic," and regard the sacraments and the priesthood of those ordained since the late 1960s as invalid. Those Catholic conservatives who accept the present Mass and the Vatican II changes to liturgy and doctrine denounce the more radical traditionalists as schismatics and Magisterium literalists akin in spirit to Protestant fundamentalists. These debates are as fierce as any Calvinist-Arminian or KJV Only vs. Critical Text debates among conservative Protestants. Keep in mind that what I have discussed only deals with the right wing of Roman Catholicism. When you consider the left wing, you have an enormous theological gap. I dare say the chasm between Archbishop Lefevre and Hans Kung is at least as wide as that between Jerry Falwell and Bishop Spong.

As for church growth, you fail to mention that the annual growth rate for the Southern Baptist Convention, a predominantly conservative evangelical denomination, is only slightly smaller than that of the Roman Catholic Church. Keep in mind too that the large majority of Latin American immigrants, who are at the core of the illegal alien problem, are at least nominal Catholics. Of course, both the Southern Baptists and the Assemblies of God (another conservative evangelical denomination) have aggressive outreach programs among Hispanics, and their growth could also be partially due to immigrants. OTOH, there is a drift of liberal Roman Catholics to Episcopalianism, which may explain the growth of that denomination in contrast with the losses experienced by other mainline bodies, and a movement of conservative Episcopalians to Roman Catholicism. The growth of the Orthodox Churches and Mormonism are probably the result of conversions of native born Americans rather than ethnic mission work.

[FJ290]

You should check Web sites such as www.traditio.com or www.catholictradition.com with respect to the discomfort of the traditionalist wing of Roman Catholicism with the mainstream of their church. They routinely denounce the current Mass as "Protestant, Masonic, and Satanic," and regard the sacraments and the priesthood of those ordained since the late 1960s as invalid.

They aren't the Pope so that they don't speak for the Church. What they have to say is of little consequence in the grand scheme of things. There will always be some that disagree and think they know better than the Pope. I will say this, some of the concerns by the Traditional Catholics are valid. IMO, ecumenism has gone way overboard with some of the Catholic clerics.

As for church growth, you fail to mention that the annual growth rate for the Southern Baptist Convention, a predominantly conservative evangelical denomination, is only slightly smaller than that of the Roman Catholic Church.

Slightly smaller? Hmm...the Roman Catholic Church has now slightly over 67 million and the Southern Baptist Convention has 16,439,603? What math are you using to come up with that?

OTOH, there is a drift of liberal Roman Catholics to Episcopalianism, which may explain the growth of that denomination in contrast with the losses experienced by other mainline bodies, and a movement of conservative Episcopalians to Roman Catholicism.

I know nothing of this "drift" of liberal Roman Catholics to the Episcopal church. Can you show documentation supporting that claim? If true, then I'm glad they left and went to where they belong. We don't need naysaying liberals in the Church trying to corrupt it with liberalism. I will, of course, pray for conversion of their hearts back to the Church.