Writing as a person raised Catholic, I will quite happily state that there are faults within the Catholic Church, particularly so within the Vatican relating to the political shenanigans and financial nefariousness therein - to name but two areas of concern - but ever has it been thus within the Holy See.
I will also quite happily state that there were, and undoubtedly still are, issues within the areas of pedophile priesthood - and no doubt there are other issues as well, many of which are quietly dealt with internally. But we are talking about the structure and individuals within said structure and all structures have their faults, some exceptionally serious faults and others minor.
Attacking, criticising, mocking, analising that structure has no effect in the faith of believers - after all their faith is ultimately not with the Church but with the entity the Church worships and purports to be a conduit to.
There can be no justification for the way the Catholic Church initially dealt with the pedophilia issue. There is no more justification for its more recent attempts to keep a lid on it until it became quite clear that the lid could no longer be kept on. There is no justification in the Church obstructing any form of parliamentary or criminal inquiries into its efforts to deal with these matters quietly and internally.
Thus, blunt attacks or those ones delivered with delicacy and finesse on the structure and some individuals within the Church are to be expected and also not defended blindly. Just as a patriot will love their country but recognise when it is wrong and a nationalist will simply love their country regardless of its wrongs, it is necessary to recognise when the Church and/or some of its employees have significant failings and are indeed guilty of, or complicit in, abhorrent and highly distasteful acts. Something not exclusive to Catholicism of course.
The same can be said of Islam, Judaism or any other form of organised religion. The simple fact is, regardless of the faults of any organised religion, the believers ultimately believe in a God (or Gods) over and above the Church organisational structure and people within - regardless of the religion. If your faith is blindly in "The Church", (whatever religion) and not in a God (or Gods) then surely that faith is misplaced.
When all is said and done, believers believe (whether they adhere to any organised religion or not) and non-believers do not.
If anybody seriously thinks that this forum is a place where a highly intelligent and intellectual theological debate will occur such as this one below for example, then I am afraid I am yet to see any signs of such intellect on display in this forum (take offence if you wish, but none is meant):
Richard Dawkins, Rowan Williams, Anthony Kenny: "Human Beings & Ultimate Origin" DebateTherefore, I see nothing to be gained by blindly defending the acts of an organisation or those within it when it is found wanting, any more than blindly dismissing the genuinely helpful deeds carried out by the same structures when they occur. The failure to accept either is simply a display of incredibly small-mindedness.
