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I wonder. A Tridentine mass-type split? I'm sure the majority would stick with whichever side the Pope supports. Who remembers the Tridentine dissidents now?
A Gorbachev - style reinvention?
A pope who might accept all the things it's been holding out against for centuries in the interests of making common cause with a very powerful protestant church?
I'd predict that, if pressure keeps up (and I think it must) the Vatican will see damage limitation a better option that not giving in on anything.
Actually, this whole sex abuse scandal should have brought the chruch to its knees, but they have the money to buy their way out. Their money should run out sometime. LOL!!!!!
As long as parishioners continue to put money in the basket, they won't run out. A portion of every dollar contributed goes to the pedophile scandal in someway or another, whether in direct payment to victims, lawsuit settlements, or insurance against future abuse. The amount of each dollar going towards the scandal keeps getting larger as the days go by.
The Catholic Church is not going anywhere one of two things will happen
1) the hierarchy will just simply wait things out until the sex scandal fades away even if it means that it may lose a generation of Catholics.
2) or the scandal may jump start the reforms started by John XXIII and Vatican II that have stalled and gone backwards over the past thirty five years or so years.
If number one wins out the Catholic Church will become a smaller church as Benedict had said years ago that the church may need to become smaller and purer; I'm not so sure of the purer part.
If number two happens we may see a growth in the Church as those that left may be reconciled with the Church, along with those attracted to the Catholic Church but are repelled with it's medieval point of view.
Don't forget Humanae Vitae (Encyclical Letter of Paul VI) forbidding Birth Control started the mass exodus from the Church.
Those that were Catholic around the time of Vatican II will remember the upbeat feeling of expectation of the Council.
The Catholic Church is not going anywhere one of two things will happen
1) the hierarchy will just simply wait things out until the sex scandal fades away even if it means that it may lose a generation of Catholics.
2) or the scandal may jump start the reforms started by John XXIII and Vatican II that have stalled and gone backwards over the past thirty five years or so years.
OR...they could conduct a modern day rendition of the Inquisitions and find the public guilty.
The world has no shortage of gullible people and/or people who needs the comfort of fellowship under the banner of promises of bliss in an afterlife. As long as they exist, religion and its temples/churches aren't going anywhere.
OR...they could conduct a modern day rendition of the Inquisitions and find the public guilty.
And the 'public' could strip the Catholic Church of its tax exempt status (at least here in the USA)----------which would effectively destroy what's left of it.
And the 'public' could strip the Catholic Church of its tax exempt status (at least here in the USA)----------which would effectively destroy what's left of it.
If this occured then over 20% of the US hospitals, which are non-profit Catholic hospitals, would have to close or find new sources of income to pay these new taxes and this could possibly mean that many people would go without medical treatment. In addition, the Catholic school system (excluding universities) educates almost 800,000 students K-12 (of which 92% go on to attend college) and these students would need to find new schools or the schools would need new sources of income to pay taxes. I think the estimated cost impact of just the education portion would be over 18 billion dollars per yer. It sounds easy to just say take away the tax exempt status of the Catholic church but the impact would be hugh and would touch all people...Catholic or otherwise.
If this occured then over 20% of the US hospitals, which are non-profit Catholic hospitals, would have to close or find new sources of income to pay these new taxes and this could possibly mean that many people would go without medical treatment. In addition, the Catholic school system (excluding universities) educates almost 800,000 students K-12 (of which 92% go on to attend college) and these students would need to find new schools or the schools would need new sources of income to pay taxes. I think the estimated cost impact of just the education portion would be over 18 billion dollars per yer. It sounds easy to just say take away the tax exempt status of the Catholic church but the impact would be hugh and would touch all people...Catholic or otherwise.
Point taken. Although with the multiplying lawsuits against the Church; a significant chunk of those billions could be lost.
Haha yes it will exist forever.The whole world will be converted to Catholicism in a few years through Medjugorje. The world is in a horrible state right now...that's the reason why Marian Apparitions happen in the first place.
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