[magisterium]

And when that happy day comes when Rome completes the moral housecleaning that you insist upon (it is already underway, but has a long way to go yet, obviously), will that be all you require to get your nose off the window and knock on the door? Prolly not. You imply that there is some tipping point at which Rome achieves legitimacy in your eyes, but we all know, as yours is merely an opinion based on type, that there will always be something that forestalls your acceptance of the Catholic Church. That gives an illogical air to the constant protestations you make about being an "ecclesial community" as far as the Church is concerned. If the Church is so manifestly bad, why should you care about its definitions of communities outside of itself?

Satan is attacking the Church from within because he sees it as the primary institution in opposition to his self-perception as Prince of this world. He seems to be making much headway in his efforts to destroy the Church from within, but his time grows short. God is sovereign. Satan knows this, and is in the same process of flailing about as he is in individuals when he is about to be exorcised. His desperation shows. This fiasco is just one instance illustrating his desperation. When things change for the better - and they will, soon - what will be your "problem" with the Church then?

You will indeed always be "on the outside looking in." Unless you open your discernment to the whisperings of the Spirit, that is.

[xzins]

You imply that there is some tipping point at which Rome achieves legitimacy in your eyes,

You either forget or don't know that I am the ecumenist in this mix. I believe in Christian unity with all my heart.

Jesus prayed, "Father, let them all be one..."

There will be a day when we get all this mess straightened out and we will all be one.

In the meantime, every true Christian everywhere through all time in all our various denominations comprises the holy universal Church.