[livius]

Centuries ago, the great St. Teresa of Avila said of the Church: "So many sheep without, so many wolves within."

I guess it hasn't changed much. Spain (and the Church, of course) of that time had people like Santa Teresa, San Ignacio, San Francisco Xavier, San Juan de la Cruz who emerged to reform many aspects of its life. I don't think that God has abandoned the Church, and I'm sure we will have our own saints arise to lead the Church out of its current sins and errors.

[afraidfortherepublic]

My mom is a true believer, with a direct pipeline to God. If you need a favor, my mother is the one you should have praying for you.

Think Bill's mom would pray for my son-in-law who has been struck with an incurable illness? We've tried everything else!

[Moonmad27]

Good article. Not long ago I happened to see a couple religious TV programs - one Protestant/evangelical service and one Catholic one. The Protestant service talked about Jesus and the Bible, and the Catholic one focused on the Pope and priests. Made me wonder who had their faith in whom. (Speaking as someone who grew up in a Catholic family, with lots of priests and nuns among relatives). It's not for nothing that the Catholic Church is structurally based on the Roman Empire's organizational chart!

[SuziQ]

There is a siege mentality in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. The elderly men who run things see an immoral world bent on destroying their institution. They see the forces of liberalism trying to tear down tradition. They see barbarians at the gate.

Those elderly men are right about all that. Now what they do to stop child abuse in the future remains to be seen, but it doesn't change the fact the Catholic Church remains under attack by those who do not want anything that resembles 'objective truth' to be promulgated.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

I tend to agree with O'Reilly. I spent seventeen + years in Catholic educational institutions( first as a student). There are clergymen and clergywomen addicted to power (may of these are actually liberal dissenter types as well). There's also nepotism, endless supply of freeloading, loafing camp followers, and types who gravitate toward money and like to control it. The leaders of some church institutions have not figured out how to attract and enlist loyal and faithful lay Catholics (*properly educated and trained*) and how to maintain an authentic Catholic spiritual focus. No human beings are perfect, but we can certainly do much better in certain cases. One thing though - I think we need to remove people who refuse to publicly take and sign an oath of fidelity to the teachings of the church. If you don't believe and try with serious effort to follow the core stuff, you should leave. Bishops who tolerate cover ups of ANYTHING, need to move along. Leaving dissenters in positions of power to apply their mischief is a large part of the current problems.

[ASTM366]

The Catholic Church has a mess on it hands because of its unbiblical adherance to a unmarried, celebate priesthood.

God did not create man to be alone, but to have a female mate.

As soon as they do away with this ridiculous requirement and the worship of Mary they will be miles ahead.

[JZoback]

There's no way on this earth that Law can ever regain his moral authority. Perhaps in heaven.

Those are odds I don't think would book in Vegas

[uncbob]

Can't believe how things have changed since my days in the Catholic Educational system

I was graduated in 54 from an all boys Catholic HS . We had over a 1000 in the graduating class and almost all priests and noviates for teachers, a total of 64 priests and 36 noviates.

It would have been hard to keep anything secret as rumors got around real quick . I can honestly say there was no hint of any of this type of scandal .
We had a couple of boozers and a few wack jobs but mainly normal men .

[Luis Gonzalez]

FYI

[185JHP]

Some of these people aren't Christians - it's just a job to them. So they care more about the "iron law of oligarchy" than they care about God's Law.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks for the ping, Luis. I'm sorry for Bill O'Reilly's experience with hypocrisy in the Church. My own Sunday school children's minister (Presbyterian) scared me into leaving church....and many adults, I know never return after an abuse of authority by these most important caretakers of the soul.

Your thread is very civilized considering the issue. I, on the other hand, unknowingly started a small religious war over here: We the Priests in order to form a more perfect union...".