I find myself in the odd position of being simultaneously alarmed by signs of religious growth *and* religious decline. For instance, increased numbers of lapsed Catholics could well result in the creation of a smaller but *much nastier* Catholic Church. Andrew O'Hehir discussed this in a recent Salon piece on Jimmy Breslin, who has written a book on his decision to leave the Catholic Church, "The Church That Forgot Christ." O'Hehir says the church establishment is basically delighted to be rid of social-activist Catholics like Breslin:
"Conservatives within the church, including some truly frightening reactionary elements who view Pope John Paul II as a softhearted liberal, have seized on the [clerical pedophilia] scandal as an opportunity to drive leftists and homosexuals out of the priesthood. They are not just willing but eager to jettison undesirable Catholics like Breslin, who are insufficiently committed to the church's sexual and moral agenda. They seem to want a smaller, narrower faith obsessed with fighting abortion and gay marriage, rather than a big-tent religion that encompasses family-values conservatives, fervent opponents of the death penalty and Latin American socialists alike.
"Some of the saner Catholic prelates, like Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., have recently disavowed the wild notion that liberal Catholic politicians who favor gay rights or reproductive choice, from John Kerry to Jim McGreevey, are not entitled to receive communion. But make no mistake, these radical positions are spreading among the true believers; priests in central New York state, where I spend much of the summer, have been handing out bumper stickers to parishioners reading: 'You can't be pro-choice and be a good Catholic.'"
http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2004/09/11/breslin/
Carl