At the risk of causing a fracas...
When the church doesn’t show that it deserves respect—and I’m including not just Catholics in that—then people don’t respect it.
There has been a crushing lack of reason for anyone outside to join the church body nowadays. We have the Gospel message of Jesus, but we don’t care to share it and we don’t care to try to reach the lost.
We just seem content to sit smugly in the pews and kvetch about the kids these days.
Confusion, clarification, and repentance should be the normal order of things. The first churches were off target, why would we be any different?
Being confused should be the beginning of being corrected. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN WE THINK WE KNOW IT ALL AND WON’T BE CORRECTED.
Rev 2:5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to Me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.
You make a valid point. The Church’s leadership has been lacking and weak. The bishops do not defend the faith as they should. Cardinal Dolan is a perfect example. He has never called out Obama or Cuomo or Biden or Pelosi for their actions. He took no public stand with Obamacare forcing employers to pay for abortions and contraception or with SCOTUS’ same-sex marriage crap.
Cardinal O’Connor was a strong defender of the faith as is Monsignor Pope. And yes, we the faithful just remain silent. One thing about moslems or jews, when they are even slightly perceived to be offended, everyone knows about it. Catholics, in particular, just remain timid. Silence is consent.