Difference between revisions of "Roman Catholic Church"

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Inevitably, the clerical hierarchy defended its corporate interests by reference to struggle between unseen forces.  According to [http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/satan_behind_media_attacks_on_the_pope_asserts_italian_exorcist/ Father Gabriele Amorth], none other than Satan is behind the criticism: "There is no doubt about it.  Because he is a marvelous Pope and worthy successor to John Paul II, it is clear that the devil wants to ‘grab hold’ of him."  What is more, Satan makes use of priests to delegitimize the entire Church: "The devil wants the death of the Church because she is the mother of all the saints."  Thus in Fr. Amorth's moral universe the church is never ultimately responsible for the actions of its agents.  One obvious question to ask is "why should any thinking person accept moral instruction from people with such retarded moral sensibilities?"
 
Inevitably, the clerical hierarchy defended its corporate interests by reference to struggle between unseen forces.  According to [http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/satan_behind_media_attacks_on_the_pope_asserts_italian_exorcist/ Father Gabriele Amorth], none other than Satan is behind the criticism: "There is no doubt about it.  Because he is a marvelous Pope and worthy successor to John Paul II, it is clear that the devil wants to ‘grab hold’ of him."  What is more, Satan makes use of priests to delegitimize the entire Church: "The devil wants the death of the Church because she is the mother of all the saints."  Thus in Fr. Amorth's moral universe the church is never ultimately responsible for the actions of its agents.  One obvious question to ask is "why should any thinking person accept moral instruction from people with such retarded moral sensibilities?"
  
As further evidence of the hierarchy's obtuseness, the Vatican issued revised internal church rules on July 15, 2010 that declared both child sexual abuse and the ordination of women to be "grave moral defects.".<ref Rachel Donadio. "Vatican Revises Abuse Process, But Causes Stir." ''The New York Times''. July 16, 2010, A1, A3</ref>
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As further evidence of the hierarchy's obtuseness, the Vatican issued revised internal church rules on July 15, 2010 that declared both child sexual abuse and the ordination of women to be "grave moral defects.".<ref>Rachel Donadio. "Vatican Revises Abuse Process, But Causes Stir." ''The New York Times''. July 16, 2010, A1, A3</ref>
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==

Revision as of 20:28, 4 November 2010

Preach to the choir
Religion
Icon religion.svg
Crux of the matter
Speak of the devil
An act of faith

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest single religious denomination in the world today, with an estimated 1.1 billion adherents.

The Pope

The Catholic doctrine of "apostolic succession" holds that it is the original Christian Church - the direct chain of inheritance from Jesus to the apostles passed on via the "laying on of hands". Saint Peter, in particular, is claimed to be the leader of the first apostles, and his authority is said to have been transferred to the See (or diocese) of Rome. The Bishop of Rome (the Pope) is the inheritor of Saint Peter and thus the head of the earthly Church.

The doctrine of apostolic succession is not unique to the Catholic Church: the various Eastern and Orthodox Churches assert their claim to be the true inheritors of the original Christian Church, with Catholicism having abdicated its authority due to heretical teachings such as the filioque doctrine. Protestants and Restorationists in general deny that the Catholic Church has any apostolic authority or that it is descended from the original Christian Church.

The current Pope (or Pontiff[1]) since 2005 is Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger). Ideally, the Pope is a wise man well past normal retiring age, being instead chosen to relentlessly work for the well-being of humanity until God calls him to Heaven. (Or at least that's the plan. Some do, many across history have been in it solely for the power.) Usually, however, the realistic administrator-types have made better popes than the more saintly ones.

Relationship with other Christians

While most people in the West do not contest the idea that the Catholic Church is the oldest branch of Christianity, there are other Eastern branches that consider themselves as old as the Roman Catholic Church, which they claim has fallen into heresy. Recently, there has been a push by the Catholic Church to reconcile with some of these smaller churches, with some success. Despite the RCC's status as the largest branch of Christianity, however, some fundamentalist Protestants refuse to recognize it as Christian at all. The RCC recognizes that the Eastern Orthodox Churches have valid orders but it considers the orders of the Anglican Communion to be utterly null and absolutely void.

The Catholic Church considers all persons baptized with the Trinitarian formula to be members, but in various degress of communion. Latin Rite and Ukrainian Rite Catholics, for instance, are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. The Eastern Orthodox are considered to be very close indeed, but actual intercommunion between the two is currently not authorized (Catholics are not allowed to share the Eucharist at EO masses and vice versa, but they are allowed to share it with non-eastern orthodox like the Greek and Russian Church in some occasions). Lutherans and Methodists are acknowledged to be fellow Christians, but they are considered "separated brethren". Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Oneness Pentecostals are considered to be members of non-Christian sects due to what the Catholic Church holds to be their view of the Holy Trinity.

Neither is Catholicism a monolithic entity in and of itself; there are several branches, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, that are fundamentally part of the Catholic Church but do not consider themselves Roman Catholic, while splinter groups both liberal and traditionalist appear in some places, out of communion with the Roman church, over doctrinal differences such as gay rights, female priesthood, and the controversial Vatican II reforms of the 1960s. In addition, small groups such as Opus Dei and the Society of St. Pius X operate on the fringes of the Roman church (the latter is generally not on good terms with Rome, while the former, though a social fringe and according to some a cult, operates with the direct blessing of the Vatican).

Politics

Politically, the Catholic Church has long been a very conservative force. For centuries, the Church has fought the creation of liberal democracy, vehemently opposing almost every progressive change in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. As recently as 1864, Pius IX's infamous Syllabus of Errors declared that liberalism, rationalism and freedom of religion were all heretical. For most of the 20th century it was little better, often supporting monarchies, dictatorships and fascist regimes against democracies and republics (Spain, Italy, and Latin America were all areas where the Church was a bulwark to fascism and militarism). During the second half of the twentieth century, this changed somewhat: the environment of the Cold War meant that the Church's fanatical opposition to Communism landed it on the side of pro-democracy activists like Lech Walesa in Poland. In the 1960's, Catholic clergy in Latin America began challenging, instead of supporting, local elites, using the gospel as a basis. This so-called "liberation theology" was viewed dimly by the central hierarchy due to its links with Marxism and radicalism but it attracted considerable support among ordinary Catholics. Also, while remaining vehemently opposed to gay rights, abortion, and birth control, the Church has also taken a stand against the death penalty, unprovoked aggression, and torture. It has also made some effort to ameliorate its generally appalling record on the treatment of women, while still absolutely prohibiting the creation of women clergy.

The Catholic Church is the only religious denomination to have full legal, internationally recognised control of its own state, the Vatican City State in Rome.[2] Historically, from about the mid-7th century onwards, the Popes had controlled the Papal States, a territory covering a significant part of central Italy.[3] In 1860, however, most of the Papal States were lost as part of the wars that led to the unification of Italy. Rome was finally occupied by Italy in 1870, leading to a 59-year conflict between the Popes and the government of Italy. This conflict that was finally resolved by the Concordat of 1929 with Fascist Italy that established the present-day Vatican City as a sovereign state.

Abuse

That the church does not offer its moralizing with entirely clean hands is obvious to everyone capable of critical thought. Among the morally repugnant activities of its clergy have been the psychological, physical and sexual abuse of persons in its custody. The Magdalene laundries scandal is well known in Ireland. Pedophilia and pederasty are not the sole preserve of the Irish Roman Catholic Church, with allegations emerging in other countries, including the United States, Canada and Germany.

Inevitably, the clerical hierarchy defended its corporate interests by reference to struggle between unseen forces. According to Father Gabriele Amorth, none other than Satan is behind the criticism: "There is no doubt about it. Because he is a marvelous Pope and worthy successor to John Paul II, it is clear that the devil wants to ‘grab hold’ of him." What is more, Satan makes use of priests to delegitimize the entire Church: "The devil wants the death of the Church because she is the mother of all the saints." Thus in Fr. Amorth's moral universe the church is never ultimately responsible for the actions of its agents. One obvious question to ask is "why should any thinking person accept moral instruction from people with such retarded moral sensibilities?"

As further evidence of the hierarchy's obtuseness, the Vatican issued revised internal church rules on July 15, 2010 that declared both child sexual abuse and the ordination of women to be "grave moral defects.".[4]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. the title Pontifex Maximus - literally "Master Bridge Builder" was originally a pagan Roman title held by the Emperors, which the popes claimed following the establishment of Christianity as Rome's official religion
  2. Although the Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos also enjoy considerable political autonomy from the Greek state, they do not, for example host diplomatic missions as the Vatican does. Saudi Arabia and Iran are examples of other states where the clergy have a fair amount of legal authority, although there is still a civil administration.
  3. The basis of papal temporal authority was said to be the "Donation of Constantine" - a supposed testament of Emperor Constantine that gave the Popes authority over central history. In fact this document is one of history's most notorious forgeries.
  4. Rachel Donadio. "Vatican Revises Abuse Process, But Causes Stir." The New York Times. July 16, 2010, A1, A3