Firstly, despite the title of this blog, I am not a Pope, not called Joan and no longer a Catholic. Some people lapse, but I actually converted out. However, I've always contended that being brought up a Catholic is a bit like being Jewish - it's in your bloodline - in my case on the maternal side since St. Patrick converted Ireland, so I am culturally Catholic, but theologically decidedly Protestant. I suppose I could classify myself as a "critical friend" of the Church - but I think most Catholics would find me way too critical and not nearly friendly enough!
I have a great deal of sympathy for the Church, and admiration for some of its clergy and a great wish for it to liberalise - which I believe it can do without compromising unduly with the modern world, if it took a little bit more notice of the Gospels, Jesus's words and the spirit within those words, and less notice of it's own fallible human "custom and practice" - or the Magisterium as it likes to call it. I would personally abolish the Magisterium and start from scratch. This is obviously a naive and idiotic view, it cannot be done, the Church is the Magisterium - but a quick straw poll around Catholics of my acquaintance reveals that many are not aware that it exists and what they have signed up to or been born into.
Is it possible for the Church to be reformed again as it was after Vatican II? I wonder. Would I rather see it reformed or disappearing? It seems idiotic to believe the Bride of Christ could disappear - but this Church seems less the Bride of Christ, more a rather officious usher or best man, trying to keep everyone in line, and not part of the love fest that the wedding is.
I started this blog today - February 24th 2013, because it seemed to me that I was writing way too much about the travails of the Catholic church on my other blog and because I might want to link this blog to other places. I might even promote this one a little because I would like to discuss things with other Catholics - old and new, assenting and dissenting.
In the last few weeks I have read a lot of Catholic commentary (i.e. about 4 articles - a lot by my standard) all of which have shocked me at their illiberal views. It is very different from my experience of Catholicism in my teens, and I am wondering whether I was brought up in an heretical parish!
The articles which precede this one are all articles I wrote in my other blog - and are dated with the date they were written, that deals with the "something old" aspect of the blog. "Something new" will be, I hope, a little bit of discussion...
I have a great deal of sympathy for the Church, and admiration for some of its clergy and a great wish for it to liberalise - which I believe it can do without compromising unduly with the modern world, if it took a little bit more notice of the Gospels, Jesus's words and the spirit within those words, and less notice of it's own fallible human "custom and practice" - or the Magisterium as it likes to call it. I would personally abolish the Magisterium and start from scratch. This is obviously a naive and idiotic view, it cannot be done, the Church is the Magisterium - but a quick straw poll around Catholics of my acquaintance reveals that many are not aware that it exists and what they have signed up to or been born into.
Is it possible for the Church to be reformed again as it was after Vatican II? I wonder. Would I rather see it reformed or disappearing? It seems idiotic to believe the Bride of Christ could disappear - but this Church seems less the Bride of Christ, more a rather officious usher or best man, trying to keep everyone in line, and not part of the love fest that the wedding is.
I started this blog today - February 24th 2013, because it seemed to me that I was writing way too much about the travails of the Catholic church on my other blog and because I might want to link this blog to other places. I might even promote this one a little because I would like to discuss things with other Catholics - old and new, assenting and dissenting.
In the last few weeks I have read a lot of Catholic commentary (i.e. about 4 articles - a lot by my standard) all of which have shocked me at their illiberal views. It is very different from my experience of Catholicism in my teens, and I am wondering whether I was brought up in an heretical parish!
The articles which precede this one are all articles I wrote in my other blog - and are dated with the date they were written, that deals with the "something old" aspect of the blog. "Something new" will be, I hope, a little bit of discussion...
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