: : First of all, the CC has nothing to do with Catholciism; the CC is a bunch of conservative Protestants who oppose religious toleration. : Apologies; I should have typed 'Catholic'; I do understand the difference between 'Merkin Catholicism and Catholicism proper.
: : Even the current Pope, a rather conservative one, has declared his support for evolution, his opposition to capitalism, and his support for teh idea that all religions have something worthwhile to say.
: The present pope is possibly one of the most reactionary and hidebound we've seen in a long time; he has only made some vaguely modern statements because the Catholic Church would become marginalized if he didn't. Check his support for such lovely organisations as Opus Dei...
: History may come to regard John Paul II at best as a brief step backwards on the modernizing path that John XXIII took; at worst, it might regard him as a heretic.
: : Pat Robertson and his evangelical followers believe in none of this stuff. As a non-Catholic, I have no qualms about saying i don't particularly care for this Pope. However, he's still infinitely better than the Protstant right in this country.
: Agreed.
: : Finally, there are plenty of very progressive Catholic leaders. There was Pope John XXIII in the early sixties, to begin with, then Cardenal in Nicaragua, Father Berrigan in this country, Archbishop Camara in Brazil, Archbishop Romero in El Salvador, and Graham Greene. The Catholic Left is an old and well-established movement.
: Perfectly true; I'm aware of all this as well; I'm just saying that Keyes has effectively declared his support for the C.C.'s aims and goals; I suspect that the division between American Catholicism and Roman Catholicism is greater than the division between American Catholicism and American Protestantism.
From the above I'd have to say that neither one of you knows what he is talking about.
Catholicism does't change. It may be difficult to accept. You may not accept it, but it doesn't matter. Think about it; if the teachings of Christ are true (how could it be otherwise?) how do they change from one country to another? Or from one age to another? Adding or subtracting from the magisterium constitutes schism, wheater by the Pope of the American Bishops.
Do either of you know what John XXIII said of Vat. II while on his death bed? Check it out.
