Catholic kiddie fiddlers part 1463: Victims react to pontiff's letter

[alfred russel]

I suppose that's possible, but I believe the Church always wants to take care of these matters "internally" rather than cooperate with law enforcement when a priest is investigated.

I think this is a case where truly the best way to spur the Church to action would be for people to close their wallets until meaningful action was taken.  I think eventually something like this will occur on a large enough scale to force change.  Maybe that's what you meant though.

At a certain age, people need to choose to be members of a religion, and then to remain a member. Who wants to chose a religion where the "infallible" leader protects child molestors? It isn't just a financial matter--a significant decline in influence of the Catholic Church is a big deal.

[Martinus]

I suppose that's possible, but I believe the Church always wants to take care of these matters "internally" rather than cooperate with law enforcement when a priest is investigated.

I think this is a case where truly the best way to spur the Church to action would be for people to close their wallets until meaningful action was taken.  I think eventually something like this will occur on a large enough scale to force change.  Maybe that's what you meant though.

At a certain age, people need to choose to be members of a religion, and then to remain a member. Who wants to chose a religion where the "infallible" leader protects child molestors? It isn't just a financial matter--a significant decline in influence of the Catholic Church is a big deal.

That's a very American approach. Most Catholics in Catholic countries do not think in these categories.

[Barrister]

That's a very American approach. Most Catholics in Catholic countries do not think in these categories.

Perhaps they should.

[The Brain]

That's a very American approach. Most Catholics in Catholic countries do not think in these categories.

Perhaps they should.

You can't think when you're in the arms of nuclear fire.

[alfred russel]

That's a very American approach. Most Catholics in Catholic countries do not think in these categories.

Sure they do. Maybe not in terms of being a Catholic converting to being a Lutheran, but at least in Europe it is a minority that remain practicing Catholics. People have made a choice to be secular and humanist in their views of the world.

[Martinus]

That's a very American approach. Most Catholics in Catholic countries do not think in these categories.

Sure they do. Maybe not in terms of being a Catholic converting to being a Lutheran, but at least in Europe it is a minority that remain practicing Catholics. People have made a choice to be secular and humanist in their views of the world.

Yes, but they are still catholic. They still baptize their children, get married, bury their dead etc. That's the main source of bling for the church, not the platter collection.

[alfred russel]

That's a very American approach. Most Catholics in Catholic countries do not think in these categories.

Sure they do. Maybe not in terms of being a Catholic converting to being a Lutheran, but at least in Europe it is a minority that remain practicing Catholics. People have made a choice to be secular and humanist in their views of the world.

Yes, but they are still catholic. They still baptize their children, get married, bury their dead etc. That's the main source of bling for the church, not the platter collection.

If that is what Catholicism is reduced to, then who cares? The Church would be irrelevant as a political force.

[jimmy olsen]

I suppose that's possible, but I believe the Church always wants to take care of these matters "internally" rather than cooperate with law enforcement when a priest is investigated.

I think this is a case where truly the best way to spur the Church to action would be for people to close their wallets until meaningful action was taken.  I think eventually something like this will occur on a large enough scale to force change.  Maybe that's what you meant though.

At a certain age, people need to choose to be members of a religion, and then to remain a member. Who wants to chose a religion where the "infallible" leader protects child molestors? It isn't just a financial matter--a significant decline in influence of the Catholic Church is a big deal.

That's a very American approach. Most Catholics in Catholic countries do not think in these categories.

More than half of Guatemala has converted to Evangelical Christianity. I think Evangelicals top 10% in every Latin American country now, these kinds of scandals will just accelerate this.