Modern-Day Catholic Schism

[wkwillis]

The Catholic Church in America is broke. Their property is only protected from seizure by the pedophile victims because the Catholic politicians are still trying to ignore the pope and his religous nuttiness. If the pope excommunicates them because of their support for birth control and abortion, then the Catholic politicians could withdraw that protection and let the juries rule.
The Catholic Church would split in America into the three quarters of Catholics that are really Unitarians and the one fourth that are really Baptists. This would happen very quickly as people chose up sides.
The churchs and schools would be purchased by the American Catholic Church because they have the money and they don't have all those elderly priests, monks, and nuns to support. We wind up with lay deacons running the churches and married women priests officiating at mass.
This could happen over the next year. It probably won't because the Pope is not stupid, but if he has a stroke...

 

[horticultureandmelodrama]

Since the largest Catholic populations in the world are in Latin America and Africa, its likely that if the Church splits it will be in these areas. Perhaps Liberation Theology becomes a more powerful movement within the Church, the South Amercian Church can break off and under a like minded Pope play an even more powerful role in Latin America. One would probably see more resistance to right wing dictorships.

 

[Leo Caesius]

Benedict XVI now finds himself at the center of the priest pedophilia scandal, in which he held a very important role:

Pope Benedict XVI faced claims last night he had 'obstructed justice' after it emerged he issued an order ensuring the church's investigations into child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret.

The order was made in a confidential letter, obtained by The Observer, which was sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001.

It asserted the church's right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to 10 years after the victims reached adulthood. The letter was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected as John Paul II's successor last week.

Lawyers acting for abuse victims claim it was designed to prevent the allegations from becoming public knowledge or being investigated by the police. They accuse Ratzinger of committing a 'clear obstruction of justice'.​

The last time the American Catholics discussed schism was over this very issue. If anything pushes the buttons of American Catholics, it is this issue. It appears now that Benedict XVI was more deeply involved in protecting the priests from justice than anyone had previously imagined. If anything could lead to a schism in the American Catholic Church, this would be it, I think.