Paul Collins is quite an engrossing commentator on matters of Catholicism in the contemporary world.
His book "God's Earth" was an attempt to examine man's role in the destructive exploitation of our planet and how attitudes may have to change to reverse the trend.
He writes:
"I personally find it sad that the hierarchs and many of the faithful of my own Catholic tradition still seem largely preoccupied with either the moral minutiae of sexual behaviour and reproduction, or with the churches struggle to free itself from the self-imposed and defensive hangovers of the sixteenth century Counter-Reformation and the hierarchal preoccupations of the nineteenth century. The saddest aspect of contemporary Catholicism is the widespread retreat by the institutional church into a new conservatism and a narrow orthodoxy that is contemptuous of the true Catholic tradition as it is of those Catholics who have tried to live their lives in critical harmony with contemporary society."

I believe Paul Collins has proved somewhat of a thorn in the side for the Catholic hierarchy - perhaps because he shrugs of the myopic views of conservative Catholicism and looks outward to embrace the diverse philosophies of other religions and alternative ways of seeing the world.

Squeers:

Whatever floats your boat old chap!

Poirot:

Thank You!

Lexi:
<Whatever floats your boat old chap!>

The ultimate cop-out--relativism.
Which ossies tend to be past-masters at.

"Whatever ya reckon, mate".

But don't believe it. Remember Wolf Creek!

Poirot, Collins sounds far too clever to be bothering with the Vatican at all.

Does he ever say what would be left if the Mumbo vanished from St. Marks?

(Pell could retrain as a Scripture Union school chaplain).

Surely, it is not that hard to coalesce around some community self-help behaviours?

Once the religio-tribalism and religio-fascism was dumped, and the religio-corporations wound down and their resources put to 'good works' for a change, we could set about battling out what we 'really' valued down here on Terra Firma.

Not much, from the record of history's bleak past.

Pell seems to have confused catholic dogma with ethics, and that Catholics might engage their own grey matter and consciences, rather than than submit to the dictates of the Holy See, means that the church's influence and respect is dwindling.

With the recent scandals and the movement of society away from doctrinal adherence, the positions of the Cardinal holds no more authority than that of the governor general, merely a figure head dusted off and brought out for special occasions.

TBC,

"Collins sounds far too clever to be bothering about the Vatican at all".
I've often thought the same thing. Collins seems to see things in their wider meaning in which to be Catholic was to have broad interests, tastes and sympathies - a universality...but, of course, I don't know that much about Catholicism.

Just as a matter of interest, our town has recently been the site of the building of a brand new provincial Catholic cathedral (the previous one was irretrievably damaged by a tornado - an act of God?)... it now dominates the skyline and is just about completed. The faithful of the diocese are to be graced by the presence of Cardinal Pell for the opening in March.