Dear Mrs. Don-o...sometimes it seems you minimize the reality of catholicism.
Howso?
The vatican is 80% gay. They are knowingly allowed to be gay and still serve in the Vatican. Under many popes - probably all the popes of your lifetime - the vatican has allowed homosexuality to flourish. This is well known in Rome, where the sex parties are written about in local papers.
The priesthood isn't confined to a small number of gay priests. All credible estimates are above 25% of Catholic priests are gay. If there are 400,000 catholic priests, you have 100,000-140,000 gay priests. It is an abomination.
It is bad enough that Rome perverted the Gospel of grace. This alone calls any connection to Christ into question.
The buggering of children and the leadership of catholicism covering it up is an equal blight.
"The wheel still turns, but the hamster is dead."
Re-read, please.
"Amend that to "the Francis-curia" or something congruent to that, and I'll sign on. These Judas Priests are not "Catholicism."
I didn't say it was only the Francis-Curia, but also the acres of rot in the Church which are "congruent" to that. The people I did defend, and hope I will alsways defend, are the faithful of Catholicism, the Christifideles faithful to Christ --- keeping in mind that the Church is not the Body of the Pope. Te Church is ---as you know ---the Body of Christ.
Today, February 22, on the Catholic Liturgical Calendar, is the Feast of the Chair ("Cathedra") of Peter. Our pastor, Fr. Pete (coincidence), in his homily for the 8:30 Mass, pointed out that Peter is called "rock" in two senses: as the "Cephas" who makes a God-inspired confession of true faith (as in Matthew 16:18) and, immediately afterward, as a "stumbling-block" (Matthew 16:23) who tries, like Satan, to argue against Christ accepting suffering and death, which is our salvation!
Fr. Pete said we often have reason to wish that we didn't have successors of Peter who
Sometimes Peter's clearly in the wrong, and has to be confronted to his face.
Is this news to you? It's not news to the Catholic Church.
The biggest mistake would be, I think, not staying at the foot of the Cross (with John and Mary) and instead heading for the tall grass. We don't forget that the first time the Apostles (predecessors of the Bishops) are recorded as acting "collegially," was here: "Then all of the disciples left Him and fled." (Matthew 26:56)
Not time to leave.
Time to build up the Church. Time to gather to the foot of the Cross, and pray.