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By now there has been such a breakdown in traditional disciplines and safeguards that I really don't know what to think any more.

Actually, you know a lot. This has bothered me very much, too. Milingo has set up a sort of para-church in his area, and it distresses me enormously that the "official" Church, after all of Milingo's blatant unorthodoxy, is just saying, "oh, okay, it's cool with us."

I don't think Jesus intended to establish Peter as his rubber stamp for the Zeitgeist, but that seems to be what's happening. I'm very, very upset by this.

Yes, I've been very upset for a long time over this. I've gone over it backwards and forwards in my mind. Obviously we cannot put God in a box and tie his hands, but when the church makes liturgical and canonical rules, as is their authority to do so, and imposes them under penalty of sin, when they are not followed, I would suppose there would be heavenly penalties, not so much for the ignorant (they possibly are deprived of graces, etc.), but for those who willfully disobey.

I wouldn't care about any of this, within certain obvious concerns about going overboard, if there weren't rules. But there are rules and the church is thumbing her nose at her own rules until it comes to other matters such as women priests, power to the laity, etc.

The bottom line is that you can't turn your family loose in the church to partake of all that is offered (questionable retreats, extra-liturgical services, etc., etc.) without being eternally vigilant. For myself, I can will to stick just to the sacraments and do fairly well, but for my friends and loved ones, they are at severe spiritual and possibly physical (from wacky healing practices.

There is heavy peer pressure to participate in some of these questionable activities. Pressure is also being exerted by priests who want to shine and are willing to compromise to do so . . .

I am not talking about blind obedience here, but I am concerned about blindly following the disobedient factions. What is most tragic to me is that I have seen otherwise very orthodox catholics being taken in through their blind trust in the pastors and their woeful ignorance about rules governing clerical practices.

And all this on top of the horrendous sexual abuse scandals.

Where are the watchmen on the wall? They are slumbering.