It's gonna take far more than a new pope, which, incidentally, they can't just get... ther's almost no historical precedent for a pope leaving office till he dies. So this old fart will have to kick off, but it doesn't seem likely the new guy will be too much more progresssive. The Church is in a move toward the right, especially in the third world, where Roman Catholicism is the largest and fastest growing religion. In the US, on the other hand, the liberal and compassionate churchmen from the 60's are dying off and retiring, and the new guys (what few they are) are quite reactionary and determined to keep the disobedient US churches in line. In my opinion, such as it is, it's a place for people who like a lot of structure and feel most comfortable when others tell them what to believe and how to practice, and all too often it seems the Church is willing to sacrifice compassion for the sake of upholding the letter of the law. The same struggle has been taking place for decades with Catholics who are alcoholics; the church is unwilling to use NA communion wine so that these people may participate fully in the sacrament. And it's a huge thing for believing Catholics to be unable to receive communion; that sacrament is the core of the Catholic's spiritual life. Seems very cruel doesn't it? My advice to this girl's folks would be to consider finding a nice Episcopalian congregation in their neighborhood. I don't see the Church budging on this issue anytime soon. Scuse me if I vent. I've walked away from church life in every form after having worked for the Church for 22 years. Too many stories like this.
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