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05/19/2005: "My fading church"
Two quotes from a recent New Yorker article that illustrate the sad state of the Catholic church:
"Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion...There may be legitimate diversity even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty but not, however, with regard to abortion and euthanasia."
John Ratzinger, the new Pope. Hypocrisy is quite the luxury.
"In order to have been named a bishop, a priest must have been seen to be absolutely opposed to masturbation, premarital sex, birth control (including condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS), abortion, divorce, homosexual relations, married priests, female priests and any hint of Marxism. It is nearly impossible to find men who subscribe wholeheartedly to this entire catalogue of certitudes; as a result the ranks of the episcopate are filled with mindless syncophants and intellectual incompetents." Thomas Cahill (NYTimes, will find the date later)