stopping my kids going to a Catholic Church

[jennyslinger]

I know religion is contentious so I'd like to say up front that I am a confirmed atheist and my DH is a confirmed catholic. This is not about the rights or wrongs of believing in god.

DH wants DS and DD (when she's 4yo) to go to our local Cathocis church to attend sunday school and get involved with other church activities.

I have read so much over the last few years about the child abuse cover-up in the Catholic Church. For this reason I have told DH and his family that the kids will not be going.

DH says I am fussing over nothing.

I asked DH he knew a nursery had covered up child abuse would he be happy with the kids going. He says this is not the same.

Am I being unreasonable?

The Catholic Church says those things are wrong, as do other churches it's the prerogative of churches to make such pronouncements. The CofE, and most other protestant denominations used to agree with the RC Church on most of these issues too. Some churches in the Anglican communion veer more towards the Roman view on these questions today (esp. in Africa). The Catholics you know are doing what their consciences tell them is ok, and whether you judge them or not for their actions and choices is up to you hopefully you are not being unkind in your assessment of them or their motives. It's a shame you seem to have come in contact with some of the worst aspects of Irish Catholicism and Irish parochialism and Irish sexual hangups in general all rolled into one IL family. They seem almost caricatures of 1950s Ireland.

As for Catholics being complicit in supporting a corrupt organisation by remaining in communion with the church, I think a lot of Catholics take the long view of the Church and its history. Many would prefer not to throw out the baby with the bathwater.