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Original poster

Anti-Catholic feelings

253 replies

StrictlyKatty · 25/04/2010 19:25

I'm pretty exhuasted right now with all the Anti-Catholic feeling on MN

A week never seems to go by without a thread about how Catholics should all feels ashamed about abuse (which we all do!) and how the Catholic Church should disband, that all Priests are kiddy fiddlers etc

Then, which really drives me mad, people with their threads about how to fake religion to get into Catholic school

There is now a thread about how frigging funny it is to see the Pope on a condom. I do wonder how funny people would find Mohammad on a sauasge... not very is my bet! Why can't respect for peoples religion be extended to Catholics?

I just wish people would understand that while noone feels that the RC church doesn't have a lot to apologise for it is not 100% rotten, the Pope isn't a Nazi and not every Priest signed up to spend time alone with little boys

DH thinks I should rise above it, but it hurts me! It has just made me cry seeing all the horrible things people have said about the church today.
Am I alone

OP posts:
ZZZenAgain · 26/04/2010 19:27

think it might have been posted on the wrong thread by mistake.

Sorry you're feeling so down Katty and the thread has not been supportive as you hoped. Maybe it would be better to walk away from it for a bit?

Original poster
StrictlyKatty · 26/04/2010 19:30

Yeah I have tried believe me! I just cannot watch people critise things they know so little about.

I don't understand why people see threads asking if there are any CATHOLICS out there and decide to use those threads to attack the Church.

There are plenty of threads dedicated to that right now!

OP posts:
tootsieroll · 26/04/2010 19:45

StrictlyKatty,
Fortunately I was away on holiday when the Irish report came out, so missed the peak of the reactions. We went to mass in Singapore, where churches are full, and being Year of the Priests, had as part of the liturgy, a prayer said for them. My husband (he was brought up in Ireland) said he had a tough time saying the prayer, because he felt so much anger in him. I am ashamed by what these criminals did, under the guise as our pastors. I am angry at the slow response taken by the Church hierarchy dealing with this issue, that only now is the Pope personally including apologies on his travels, and probably needs to do more to help the individuals traumatised over the years.

That said, I am personally dealing with the anti-catholic sentiment by doing a lot more reflection, praying for all the good priests and nuns that I know, who lead honest, prayerful lives dedicated to their vocation, praying for reconciliation, praying that the victims will be able to find peace. Because of a small handful of criminals who managed to inflict so much damage over the years, the majority of the faithful have had to suffer, but as they say, 'sticks and stones can break my bones, but words cannot hurt me'

TheFallenMadonna · 26/04/2010 20:20

I can't understand why you're not more critical of the church hierarchy. Why you are supporting them in this way.

Anti-Catholic sentiment is honestly the least of my worries as a Catholic at the moment.

wannaBe · 26/04/2010 21:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

wannaBe · 26/04/2010 21:42

and that was aimed at the op only, since the rest of the catholics on this thread seem to be sensible, and measured, and critical where necessary...

TheHeathenOfSuburbia · 26/04/2010 21:50

"Also you should thank Riven, for a minute I really did think a grown women couldn't spell decade."
I was also about to tell you wannabe uses a screen reader, but carry on taking the piss, that's v. classy.

"do you find it so outsides the realm of possiblity that someone could actually disagree with you?"
..about how the law works ?
Well, you can disagree if you like, but I'm sure we could find some sort of source to back me and wannabe up?

nighbynight · 26/04/2010 21:57

to the OP: I complained to mn about one particaularly nasty nazi post (am not sure if they removed it, but was a def personal attack!). However, like many other people, I am genuinely very angry about the hypocrisy, dishonesty and general lack of christian behaviour at the centre of the catholic church. We have known this stuff for years, it has been concealed for years, and now it's coming out in public.

I have no axe to grind with attacking the catholic church, but I do genuinely feel that I could not be catholic because of the way the church is organised, and what they have done in the past. They really, really need to change, deeply, right from the centre outwards.
In my experience, the number of rotten priests is far higher than your OP suggests.

Believe me, I would rather see the catholic church reformed than sit here criticising it. But right now, I dont have any choice.

Marjoriew · 26/04/2010 22:15

And the 1% is only the ones we know about.

tiredlady · 26/04/2010 22:17

Go on SK, tell us what you would think if a headmaster covered up the actions of a lot of paedophile teachers.

Would your faith in the teaching hierarchy be shaken to the core?

Would you be disgusted with that headmaster?

Would you want your child to go to school where a paedophile teacher was working?

Swap headmaster for Pope, and paedophile teacher for paedophile priest,and hey presto, we have your church.

Stop defending them. Think of those children. Your loyalty should be with them

Original poster
StrictlyKatty · 27/04/2010 10:06

You know there is such a thing a freedom of religious thought. I can believe whatever I want to frankly. I will defend my Church, as that is my choice. It is no ones business but mine what I believe.

Not once have I asked any of you what your religious belief is, it's none of my business and a matter of personal conscience.

It's handy that you have found someone that will stand up for the Church that you can direct your bile against isn't it. I imagine not many of you would have the guts in RL to say some of the gorrible things you have said on here.

OP posts:
Original poster
StrictlyKatty · 27/04/2010 10:08

Marjorie the 1% are all the abuse claims that have been made, they didn't all even turn out to be true. How else would you like to inflate the figures?

OP posts:
Original poster
StrictlyKatty · 27/04/2010 10:13

Yesterday there was a news story about a teacher trying to kill his pupil. Will everyone be Home Educating from now on as clearly all teachers are terrible abusers No? Because this was an isolated attack? Well there were a good few stories over the last month about teachers sleeping with their pupils too.

But then people are reasonable enough to see that not every teacher abuses their pupils in the same way not every Priest abuses young children.

As for thinking I should abandon my Church because they have committed terrible crimes, will all of you be renouncing your citizenship as Britian did commit terrible crime in India did she not? Do all the Japanese give up being Japanese due to what some of them did in WW2...

No. Of course not because some people have the sense to see that the bad actions of the minority should not prevail over the very good actions of the vast vast majority.

OP posts:
NonnoMum · 27/04/2010 10:18

About 1 billion people belong to the Catholic Church. Seek some comfort in that - it is a tough time to be a Catholic, I agree.

In Mass on Sunday there was a message from the bishops of England and Wales seeking a way forward...

nighbynight · 27/04/2010 10:21

A way forward?

The Pope could resign.
They could allow priests to get married.

That would be a start on a way forward.

nighbynight · 27/04/2010 10:21

pah, forgot Women priests.

abride · 27/04/2010 10:23

Why do you think married men aren't going to be paedophiles? The man (scout leader) who abused my two male cousins was married with children.

Married priests may be a very good idea for other reasons but I'm not sure that stopping paedophiles is one of them.

Original poster
StrictlyKatty · 27/04/2010 10:25

I don't want married Priests. I know of at least 3 married Anglican Vicars who have abused children. Their wives and children didn't stop them.

OP posts:
nighbynight · 27/04/2010 10:39

Those are the exact same arguments used by the Pope to maintain the status quo.

Child abuse happens in the general population. The point is, that there is only one organisation where child abuse has been endemic over a long period of time, and where the perpetrators have been so well protected from within the organisation, and its not the scouts or the c of e. If it was the c of e, Id be banging on the door of lambeth palace, because its OUR church.
I dont want get personal with other peoples stories about catholic priests to exceed your 3 anglican vicars. None of the priests that I have heard about have been reported or prosecuted to my knowledge.

Chandra · 27/04/2010 10:39

I'm a non practicing catholic, who as MANY other catholics, is pro contraception, not completely pro life ( I disagree with late pregnancy abortion when is not in medical grounds).

I worry about the new Pope being a bit of a Christian fundamentalist, I believe priests should be allowed to marry (just because I don't like them advising on families and marital life from theory rather than actual experience). And I wonder if it's ethical for me get a place for my son, in a good private school, in exchange of him singing in an Anglican cathedral choir.

I feel I am, like many other catholics, very open minded and able to take my own decisions, I don't suffer from guilt, I dislike people having more children than they can afford to bring up, etc etc.

Yet I agree with the OP, sometimes the sterotyping of catholic people is just disgraceful. And I'm sure if someone come and say the same things about other religions which, historically have been subject to more religious hate, a lot of people here will object. Yet, it seems that just because we are talking "Catholics" it's ok to be as politically incorrect as you wish...

And by the way, no catholic will condone criminal behaviour just because it was perpetrated by priests. There's no excuse for that, there could never be.

nighbynight · 27/04/2010 10:42

Chandra, it has been shown that many catholics have condoned criminal behaviour, ie the priests and bishops who moved child abusers round instead of reporting them to the police.

As I said before, I would rather see the church reformed than criticise it. It gives me no pleasure to lay into an organisation that does do so much good. But these things really need to be addressed with more than penitent words, you cant just shut your eyes to them, or it undermines everything else.

Chandra · 27/04/2010 10:54

I believe my point is, that most catholics are outraged at the way the church has reacted to these cases, in the same way non catholics are, but someway we are made to look as we are condoning that behaviour.

We are also victims of those decisions (what if our local church is getting the paedo priest? we will know nothing about it!), but I refuse to believe that every single priest has those tendencies, as I believe there are thousands of priests who act well, and just a tiny number within them capable of such atrocities.

To explain my point further, there were a lot of anti-muslim feelings after the 9/11 attacks, yet I believe that most of us blame the deaths on the terrorists rather than the Muslim religion. There are nutcases in every religion.

wannaBe · 27/04/2010 11:14

"Yesterday there was a news story about a teacher trying to kill his pupil. Will everyone be Home Educating from now on as clearly all teachers are terrible
abusers" and yet again you are spectacularly missing the point. The teacher in the news yesterday is on trial. The education establishment he worked for didn't cover up his actions and move him on to the next school - he was actually charged with, and is on trial for attempted murder.

The abuse here is not the issue, what is is the fact that it was covered up by the church and that the abusers were moved on from church to church and free to continue abusing while the authorities within the church looked on. And that people like you are condoning that.

nighbynight · 27/04/2010 11:14

I see what you are saying, but I think you are condoning it, simply by not insisting on change, and by carrying on going to church and paying your dues.

wannaBe · 27/04/2010 11:18

chandra there are many catholics on this thread who are outraged by what has gone on and imo they do not deserve criticism.

But the op has defended the actions of the church and even justified them, so she should not be surprised when she is criticised for her views.

Perhaps this thread is not the best place to agree with the op, since her views are so far removed from normality.