I think you’ll find that young people the world over are seeking clarity, because as stated down thread, the world is a muddy, contradictory, and confusing place.
Extreme views, whether they reside in religion, or politics, provide an attractive, easy answer, because “sinners”, ie those who do not live by the rules, are conveniently “othered” and that is comforting and simple, because we can judge and blame them for the fall of a country or a religion, rather than confront, examine and question our own behaviours and consciences.
I find it sad how traditional Catholics always chose to focus on homosexuality and divorce (which incidentally is the only context in which they seem able to be able to mention women in these discussions) when far more important than who is sleeping with whom, is preserving the dignity and worth of every individual, alongside issues such as poverty, war, injustice, alienation and isolation.
Let’s get to the nub of it; Jesus in the Gospels barely mentioned sexual morality. But he embraced a prostitute, healed the sick, ministered to the poor and homeless, and welcomed sinners.
If the church is only about setting standards and rules which the majority of people and members of congregations fail to live up to, then the majority will lack the sense of belonging, support and solidarity which they seek , and moreover deserve, if you believe God to be loving and forgiving that is!
The two options are, that the church can go down all guns blazing, essentially gathering itself around a small blocus of religious extremists, leaving the mass of congregations feeling excluded, guilty, and branded sinners.
Or the shepherds can find a way back towards their flocks, making them feel welcome and included, recognising that rules needs to be flexible and nuanced and applied with humanity and love. And church leaders, instead of imposing rules upon their parishioners, live alongside them, and suffer with them.
When did the Catholic Church become an institution that turned away those who fail and sin? Is that not the complete opposite of the Christian message? You are right, I want no part of that brand of Catholicism thank you. One of my main motivations for attending mass is the church’s ongoing championing of social justice.
Btw, I say this as someone who has been married for thirty years, who attends Mass weekly and on holy days of obligation and who regularly goes to confession and who attends a Latin Mass once a month and adores the sung Latin Mass . So your rather accusatory assumption and narrow definitions about those who hold progressive views within the church may not be entirely accurate! And even if they were accurate, I find it astonishing that you would be content with the alienation of the silent majority.
Perhaps we would all be wise to follow Pope Francis’s example and take the views of ordinary parishioners in to account? And examine why they are leaving so many pews empty on a Sunday? Could it be, like many of my former fellow parishioners, that they found the sexual abuse of children by priests, and the subsequent cover ups of these evils, too much to bear? And found that the credibility of the church had been forever undermined by these appalling crimes?
I find it surprising that you do not consider the Catholic Church to be a dying institution already? When its leaders have rejected homosexuals and divorcees and branded their actions sinful, while at the very same time protecting child abusers within their ranks, knowingly moved them to other parishes, and effectively said, “carry on in a different place where you are not known”. The sexual abuse crisis is far from over or solved btw. (And in my view will not be until women gain equal recognition and power within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.) Tragically we anticipate appallingly sad news emerging from South American countries, among other examples.
Perhaps the hierarchy of the church would be wise to observe the empty seats at Sunday Mass and take on board their meaning?
The Catholic Church may be thriving in countries where homosexuality is unrecognised and rarely mentioned, and where women have traditionally taken on subservient roles, but I’m afraid I fail to see that as progress, even when deep spirituality is present. As mentioned below, I also fail to understand why progressive views and deep spirituality are mutually exclusive?