Hi Yuyutsu,

"While I agree that Catholic clergy has a bad reputation today, I do not agree that the paedophiles among them were religious."

You can say that, they considered themselves religious, and that's all that matters. BTW, paedophilia is live and well among the Catholic clergy in Australia, its gone off shore, with priests and brothers now making regular visits over seas to third world countries like the Philippines, where control is limited, and children are plentiful.

From NY Post; "But, the young man later told The Associated Press, those days were happy only for the priest. They were years of misery for him, he said and for the other boys who investigators say were sexually assaulted by Father Pius Hendricks." One of many foreign clergy still abusing children in third world countries with impunity! Out of sight, out of mind.

Dear Paul,

«they considered themselves religious, and that's all that matters.»

To you, that's all that matters to you.
To most others it is clear that paedophile priests followed neither God nor Jesus Christ.
Had they really considered themselves religious? I wouldn't be sure of that even!

So how would you feel if some member of the Greens serially raped and then strangled old ladies, then declared, "I am a Green, I did it for the Earth"?
Did they actually do it for the Earth?
Did they even believed in their heart that they did it for the Earth?

Hi Yuyutsu,

I wouldn't want to be a member of any organisation, political, social or religious where 30% of the hierarchy were/are paedophiles. Would you? Yet 1.3 billion people belong to such an organisation. BTW the organisation itself admits that 15% of its hierarchy were just that.

Dear Paul,

«I wouldn't want to be a member of any organisation, political, social or religious where 30% of the hierarchy were/are paedophiles.»

Nor is anyone asking you to.

«Would you?»

I would take that factor into account, then weigh carefully the pros against that con.

Mind you, there is one other and bigger con that would stop me from becoming a member of the Catholic Church: that they accept financial benefits from the state!

«Yet 1.3 billion people belong to such an organisation.»

I am pretty sure that they do not belong there BECAUSE 30% of the hierarchy were/are paedophiles, but DESPITE it. They too have every right to weigh the pros and the cons for themselves.

«BTW the organisation itself admits that 15% of its hierarchy were just that.»

That depends what you include in its "hierarchy".
If you only count the priesthood than you may be correct.

Today the Catholic Church suffers a severe shortage of priests, and so most of its functions are performed by lay-people. The Catholic priests and hierarchy are already becoming less and less relevant for Catholics.