Unanticipated Backlash
The Holy Roman Catholic Church, ever mindful of its duty toward its parishioners, struggles to disseminate its various messages to the faithful. The flock of the faithful is immense as attested by a statistical yearbook that reveals numerous statistics. Some 33% of the world's population is Christian. Of that percentage, about 17.3% is Catholic, numbering a stable 1.147-billion people globally.
A slow and steady increase is apparent, mostly in Africa and Asia.
While throughout North America the influence of the Roman Catholic Church is declining. Statistics indicate that since 2000 the number of priests has increased from 405,178 to 408,024 in 2007. A marked improvement over the steady decline of Catholic priests between 1980 and the 1990s. The Church is loath to lose its shepherds, treats them with great care.
Far greater care, alas, than it doles out to its flock. Too many of whom have, over time, been sexually exploited by those priests. Data going back 40 years and more demonstrate that the problem of priests preying on their parishioners was well known, with some members of the priesthood angry that nothing was done to remove the predators from active duty. The Vatican was reluctant to admit the corruption within its numbers.
And still is, but remains highly vocal about the sins committed by the flock. And while the number of priests in the Catholic church is on a steady rise in Africa mostly, it continues to decline in North America. How very peculiar that is, since it is in Africa more than say, North America that culture and tradition elevates rape to a mundane affair, while in North America it is regarded as detestable.
Back to Pope Benedict's constant chiding of the faithful. Fulminating against the mortal sin of abortion, and thus ending a life, whatever the reason. And preaching against the use of condoms, characterizing their use as leading to greater promiscuity. Claiming that condom use is ineffectual in the global battle against HIV/AIDS; that information received on the highest authority; God's shepherd.
Well then, perhaps it isn't surprising that in the enlightened, educated and democratic areas of the world there has been a backlash building in reaction to the good Pope's statements. The revulsion felt around the world at the excommunication of a nine-year-old Brazilian girl who had been repeatedly raped by her stepfather; that of her mother and the doctors who performed a life-saving abortion, was sharply heard.
That the stepfather who had committed the horrible moral and psychically damaging sin of rape against a defenceless child was considered to have acted badly, but not so badly as to merit excommunication quite astonished most rational people. And then came Pope Benedict's Africa visit claiming abstinence and sole devotion to one's spouse would defeat HIV/AIDS. Condoms, he famously asserted, "can even increase the problem".
It now appears that campaigns have erupted in Argentina and Spain encouraging Roman Catholics to renounce their faith on the basis of its absurdly inhumane interpretations of God's will. There is a "Not in My Name" Internet campaign that is slowly gathering signatories. And there have been similar actions in Quebec, as well.
If Argentina and Spain, (along with Quebec) don't represent traditional Catholic culture and values, what area of the world does, more strikingly? And if the current Pope's mission is rejected there, might it be assumed he is on the wrong trajectory?
A slow and steady increase is apparent, mostly in Africa and Asia.
While throughout North America the influence of the Roman Catholic Church is declining. Statistics indicate that since 2000 the number of priests has increased from 405,178 to 408,024 in 2007. A marked improvement over the steady decline of Catholic priests between 1980 and the 1990s. The Church is loath to lose its shepherds, treats them with great care.
Far greater care, alas, than it doles out to its flock. Too many of whom have, over time, been sexually exploited by those priests. Data going back 40 years and more demonstrate that the problem of priests preying on their parishioners was well known, with some members of the priesthood angry that nothing was done to remove the predators from active duty. The Vatican was reluctant to admit the corruption within its numbers.
And still is, but remains highly vocal about the sins committed by the flock. And while the number of priests in the Catholic church is on a steady rise in Africa mostly, it continues to decline in North America. How very peculiar that is, since it is in Africa more than say, North America that culture and tradition elevates rape to a mundane affair, while in North America it is regarded as detestable.
Back to Pope Benedict's constant chiding of the faithful. Fulminating against the mortal sin of abortion, and thus ending a life, whatever the reason. And preaching against the use of condoms, characterizing their use as leading to greater promiscuity. Claiming that condom use is ineffectual in the global battle against HIV/AIDS; that information received on the highest authority; God's shepherd.
Well then, perhaps it isn't surprising that in the enlightened, educated and democratic areas of the world there has been a backlash building in reaction to the good Pope's statements. The revulsion felt around the world at the excommunication of a nine-year-old Brazilian girl who had been repeatedly raped by her stepfather; that of her mother and the doctors who performed a life-saving abortion, was sharply heard.
That the stepfather who had committed the horrible moral and psychically damaging sin of rape against a defenceless child was considered to have acted badly, but not so badly as to merit excommunication quite astonished most rational people. And then came Pope Benedict's Africa visit claiming abstinence and sole devotion to one's spouse would defeat HIV/AIDS. Condoms, he famously asserted, "can even increase the problem".
It now appears that campaigns have erupted in Argentina and Spain encouraging Roman Catholics to renounce their faith on the basis of its absurdly inhumane interpretations of God's will. There is a "Not in My Name" Internet campaign that is slowly gathering signatories. And there have been similar actions in Quebec, as well.
If Argentina and Spain, (along with Quebec) don't represent traditional Catholic culture and values, what area of the world does, more strikingly? And if the current Pope's mission is rejected there, might it be assumed he is on the wrong trajectory?
Labels: Crisis Politics, Life's Like That, Religion
posted by Pieface | 6:33 PM
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