I’ve spent considerable energy over the years defending the Catholic Church from some of the extremes of vitriol it attracts (as well as criticising perceived inadequacies), but the church’s worst enemy is its own leadership.
Barney Zwartz, religion editor of The Age
The Catholic Church has an uncanny knack for attracting criticism. It has proven worse than useless in dealing with issues of sexual abuse among its clergy, but is prepared to launch stinging attacks on those priests who don’t precisely toe the party line. The bishop of Toowoomba, William Morris, has effectively been forced out of his post for daring to suggest that the Church might one day want to have a discussion about allowing female priests. He wasn’t even advocating the position, merely hinting at it as a possibility. While this was only one example of Morris’ liturgical incompliance, it seems hard to justify such an extreme stance — particularly as the Church has plenty of priests who, through their breach of trust in either directly abusing children in their care or covering up such acts, still continue to serve.
