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1. The Catholic Church has not said it is the sole respository of the Truth but it is for the whole Truth, the complete picture that Christ wants us to know. There are other sources of the Truth but not all of it.
   The Catholic church has not wandered from Christ's message, even if individuals have. The Church has shown compassion where others have not, and continues to show tolerance for homosexuals, indeed any sinner even if not sorry for their sins - but - that is asked of them because Christ asked for repentance as well.
   I don't defend the actions of many bishops, much less the priests, who perpetrated such evil. Despite that, the Church will go on for eternity because it is bigger and the Truth it offers is bigger than the evil wrought by a very very few.

   Posted By: Chris Saidou

2. I think this is a great piece of writing. It puts the Church's response to abuse accusations into a wider context. No matter what ideal you hold, divine or otherwise, once you believe that gives you unquestionable authority, you will fail to question yourself and demonise those who do.
   So many of the comments I read in this forum simply ignore the questions being asked by framing them as an attack on the Church.
   Chris SaiDou: I like your last paragraph but I am left wondering where is your Church. You want to give it all the praise for the good it has done, or individuals in it have done; but you want it to be shielded from any evil that members, and leading members at that, have done.
   The Church recognises that others may have a share in the Truth but it does hold that is has the fullness of Truth. It claims to have the mind of God through Christ in the sacraments and the daily guidance of the Holy Spirit. I would not argue with that except to say God give himself to the whole world - his rain falls on good and bad alike.
   The question is how well has the Church acted out that Truth. Has the Church, in the cases of child abuse by clergy, put self-protection before the right to justice for those children in legal investigations? Do you say such cases were simply the work of errant bishops, maybe, errant cardinals or Vatican officials? At what point would you assign responsibility to your Church? The Pope has apologised for the abuse but Church records are still being restricted.
   If you believed the evidence could bankrupt the Church, would you advise it be kept secret? This is the question: will the Church open itself to the truth about itself, or does it believe it has a right to control the truth?
   The Church is a human organisation trying to do God's work. It is accountable to God and it should also hold itself accountable to the justice system and support due process. The courts are not a perfect system either but if you ask to be a member of a society you can not hold yourself above it.

   Posted By: Martin Nicol

3. Chris: You are correct re the Catholic Church. But, then again, the Catholic Church is bigger than either the Roman Church or the Roman Catholic Church. We're long overdue for that pruning that Jesus spoke about....and how the hierarchy does not want to be pruned!

   Posted By: Cobber

4. Cobber: Of course the Catholic Church (1.2 billion souls currently in the Church Militant, and probably many billions more in the Church Suffering and the Church Triumphant) is far bigger than the Roman church (the 2 million or so Catholics living in the Diocese of Rome). There is no such thing as a "Roman Catholic Church" [sic].

   Posted By: Peter G

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