*So it seems to me that on the one hand we have a lion here...*

Seems to me, that we have more like a Vatican ostrich here, with
its head deep in the sand....

Here in Germany a (sizable) minority of Catholic theologians have recently (4/2/2011) published a Memorandum (http://www.memorandum-freiheit.de/) "Church in 2011" (I don't know of an English translation) where the six points they are pushing have already been implemented in the "Evangelische" (Lutheran) Church. I think Paul Collins would probably endorse the Memorandum and its six items (although e.g. Hans Küng, remarkably, is not among the 143 signatories).

Catholics and Lutherans comprise the vast majority of German organised Christians, and they have been (and still are), of about the same (gradually diminishing) sizes. The statistics show that more Lutherans than Catholics have been leaving their Churches (http://www.kirchenaustritt.de/statistik/) for years, and there is no indication Catholics leaving their Church would be entering the Lutheran Church in large numbers in spite of the Lutherans' more liberal and less authoritative image of Christianity they present.

The Catholic Church (in the West) has a problem, even larger than that of Christianity as such, no question about that. However, it seems that Paul Collins is not a solution but rather part of the problem. At least within organised Christianity.

The way Catholics respond to contemporary challenges will depend on which part of the theological spectrum they inhabit. By placing everyone on a spectrum we recognise that all are Catholics and they all have contributions to make in building up the church. We all need to get beyond stereotypes and recognise the sincerity and contribution to the rich fabric of the church of Catholics with different attitudes to our own, even if we don't personally agree with their specific emphasis. The reason why this is stressed is as
Paul Collins says, "I have so often been told by Catholics who disagree with me to "get out and found my own church if you can't accept the doctrines and rules of the club!" Such people believe that their very narrow definition of Catholicism is the only one that is valid: everyone else is a "heretic" and beyond the pale. Most Catholics have moved beyond these categories. Collins puts it so beautifully: "If like Benedict XVI, you see the church as the sole repository of absolute, unchangeable truth about God, life, and moral values, then your response to the ministerial dilemmas Catholicism faces will be to say that the church is here to guide the world and that it has little or nothing to gain from mundane wisdom. The Catholic's task is to tell it as it is, to proclaim the church's teaching in season and out of season. This is especially true regarding issues like abortion, stem cell research and contraception,
and gender issues like homosexuality, which are seen as centrally important in today's world. The church should batten down the hatches, tighten up the discipline, consolidate inwardly, and confront the world with the "hard" teachings of Jesus. Actually, more accurately, the "hard" teachings of the papal magisterium, which are then identified with Jesus. To these people the universal church is strongly linked with the papacy." Here people ten to focus on the world as a sinful place and humankind as a fallen race tainted with original sin. They despair about post-modern culture teaching us anything worthwhile.

cont'd ...

cont'd ...

According to Collins:

"If you have a more positive, optimistic view of the world as revealing something of God's goodness, if like John XXIII, you can perceive what is worthwhile in modern culture and if you feel that history is part of the ongoing revelation of God, then you will be at the other end of the spectrum. Such Catholics according to Collins, "Believe that while the world is grace filled with God's presence and the church is one of the most important ways through which people have access to truth and to an experience of God, there is also a recognition that there are other ways to God, which are found in so many great religious traditions. In order to achieve its goal the church must be part of culture, it must emphasise those aspects of its teaching that best respond to the particular needs of the time and place. The focus is on the local church. While maintaining an open stance toward the contemporary world, the church must also offer a direct and honest critique, derived from the Scriptures, of modern culture and values." It must however, "be also willing to participate in the world, to learn from it and to co-operate with other people of good will in building the structures of love, mercy, and justice..."

"For people at this end of the spectrum openess and ecumenism are key values and a strong assertion of Catholic identity is not so important. Of course the extremes of both of these spectrums are caricatures, and most people don't hold either of them in their entirety." While there is a lot of crossover between the two, there is no doubt, Collins says, "we all tend toward one or the other end of the spectrums as much according to our psychology and experience as from our intellectual convictions." Collins belong to the more change-oriented end of the spectrum - Cardinal Pell belongs to the more conservative end. The tragedy is - " that at present there is still an enormous amount of antagonism between the two emphases."

If on the one hand we do not condone the practice of adherence to Sharia principals to the extent that an individual chooses to behave in a manner which is knowingly contemptuous of the Australian wules,

then why is that when it comes to the Catholic Church that the same standards do not appear to be applied.

Because, if indeed there was a conspiracy to deal with the "Child Abuse Issue" by way of, shall we say, "internal catholic mechanisms" then surely, in principal, that is no different from any form of contempt of the wules when an individual knowingly chooses to do something illegal on the grounds that it is ok or to be encouraged by their personal God concept or belief system ie the hiding the crimes of the sexual abuse of minors by the so called catholic Hierarchy.

Whilst I note the long, ongoing and dastardly history of the Crown visa vi all manner of child abuse from the BlakFellas to their own, to stateless people, but seriously, must this be condoned?

Any individual/organisation or whatever who conspired to hide sexual crimes of abuse against children from both the public and the law should be stripped of all of their assets and titles, deported or jailed and made to start again from CentreLink post an improved and upgraded Prisoner re-habilitation program by legislation with retrospective powers if need be.

Instead we could have the

*Church of Boazy*

(who inspires us in his ongoing Spiritual Mission to rekindle a True Spiritual Fire in the Black and Evil $Money Grubbing$ Torey Heart of the Liberal Party)

a Beautiful Mosque
(coz *Boazy* knows in days gone by the Muslims and the Christians used to share the *Church of Saint John the Baptist* for worship)

a Church for our Patron Saint of Luv Making, who first wed 2 Gay Girls in the early 70's before being legally restricted to the *Covenant of Luv* only,

(I somehow don't think we quite cut the international mustard seed when it comes to Freedom of Religion)

a Nature Shrine, Shinto, Buddhist etc etc.

Sheesh Dreamy.. I better throw a spiritual lassoo over you and draggggg you back from dreamland :)

If you want "my" Church..just read the New Testament.

It will be a great day when the Catholics do the same mate.

cheers