[VidMihi]

You wrote about your priest friend -
"
The priest at a local parish here said in one of his homilies a while ago that "it used to be that when people had a problem with the Catholic church....they left."

Let us hope he does not do marriage counseling.If you have a problem - just leave the marriage.

Many Catholics I know love the Church enough to stay and try to work out the problem. In any situation of working things out both sides must try to understand the other. It does not work when one side says "I don't want to listen - this is the way it is - if you don't like it leave"

[bornacatholic]

So, when many left Jesus after He explained the Eucharist, they really should have stayed and Jesus ought have compromised and worked things out?

What is your understanding of authority? When the New Testament tells Christians to hear the Churcvh or be treated as heathens in how many ways is that bad advice?

[Krista33]

With all due respect. I don't believe you can compare marriage and the doctrine of the church. It's apples and oranges. I happen to agree with this priest. I don't think the church should compromise. Some of the issues that dissenting catholics want changed are things like accepting homosexuality. Should the church change even when it goes against scripture? No way.

[wideawake]

VidMihi, you are using the wrong metaphor - the relationship of the believer to the Church is not a spousal relationship.

It is a filial relationship.

The Church as a loving parent makes the rules and the obedient child obeys the rules.

Period.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"The priest at a local parish here said in one of his homilies a while ago that "it used to be that when people had a problem with the Catholic church....they left."... Let us hope he does not do marriage counseling.If you have a problem - just leave the marriage.

But the problem is, the dissidents want to "stay" --- but to change the definition of marriage.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Oops--- I had to leave before I finished that post which compared leaving the Church to leaving a marriage.

Some people want to "stay" in the church, only to change the definition of Church. They dissent on core issues of faith and morals, and so they stay, but not a faithful believers.

It would like a spouse proclaiming his attachment to "marriage," --- refusing separation or divorce --- and yet insisting that the marriage must be reshaped as a union which is not lifelong, not exclusive, not fertile, and not sacramental.

If people are fundamentally dissatisfied with Catholic faith and morals want to stay in order to undermine the faith and redefine the morals, that's not fidelity; it's subversion. It's not loyalty; it's treason.