RC Church "200 years behind" the times

[Red Celt]

In an article that has just been posted on the BBC News page, Cardinal Carlo Martini says Church '200 years behind'.

Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini has described the Roman Catholic Church as being "200 years behind" the times.

The cardinal died on Friday, aged 85.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera has published his last interview, recorded in August, in which Cardinal Martini says: "The Church is tired... our prayer rooms are empty."

Martini, once tipped as a future pope, urged the Church to recognise its errors and to embark on a radical path of change, beginning with the Pope.

Discuss?

[Napoléon]

The catholic church is more than 200 years behind the times.

It's about time we threw it in the gutter with the rest of the ancient religions that worshipped gods such as Zues, Odin and Thor.

[Red Celt]

The catholic church is more than 200 years behind the times.

It's about time we threw it in the gutter with the rest of the ancient religions that worshipped gods such as Zues, Odin and Thor.

To me, the most interesting part of this story is that the cardinal was one of the potentials for the papacy. If Ratzinger (old-school hard-liner) hadn't gotten the position, the world might have taken an important step towards secularism. When it comes to the RCC, one little step every few hundred years is the best we can hope for.

[Anomalocaris]

Catholic church can't even in principle embrace the very concept of keeping up with the times because Christianity is down to its very deepest core a backward looking, regressive cult which holds best times was in the past, whether that was the Eden, the coming of Christ, whatever.

It's surprisingly shallow of one so lofty as to be candidate far papacy to I
imagine anything Christian could be anything but behind, and a drag upon, human endeavor to improve things beyond what they had ever been before.

[Angrboda]

Traditional churches are losing members. This is more likely a response to the threat of extinction, rather than a genuine desire for change. If the pews were full, these men would be silent.

[Minimalist]

I bet Herr Von Popenfuhrer is glad this fucker is dead. One less liberal to worry about.

[kılıç_mehmet]

In an article that has just been posted on the BBC News page, Cardinal Carlo Martini says Church '200 years behind'.

Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini has described the Roman Catholic Church as being "200 years behind" the times.

The cardinal died on Friday, aged 85.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera has published his last interview, recorded in August, in which Cardinal Martini says: "The Church is tired... our prayer rooms are empty."

Martini, once tipped as a future pope, urged the Church to recognise its errors and to embark on a radical path of change, beginning with the Pope.

Discuss?

Indeed. They could start by lifting the bans on the marriage of priests.
No other church besides the catholics have such strict rules for their priests. Those who choose to live out monastic lives, can do so, but I'm not sure how the church is in a position to forbid his own clergymen to marry and have children while keeping their position as clergymen.
This also thins out the ranks of the faithful in the church. I'm sure after priests are allowed to marry and have children, they will pass on their conviction to their own children, and catholicism will have a steady supply of devout worshippers and clergymen.

[KichigaiNeko]

Basically the RC church is just the last vestiges of the Old Roman Empire...as such it is realistically 2000 years behind the times.

[kılıç_mehmet]

Basically the RC church is just the last vestiges of the Old Roman Empire...as such it is realistically 2000 years behind the times.

Wait, what?

[Angrboda]

Indeed. They could start by lifting the bans on the marriage of priests.
No other church besides the catholics have such strict rules for their priests. Those who choose to live out monastic lives, can do so, but I'm not sure how the church is in a position to forbid his own clergymen to marry and have children while keeping their position as clergymen.
This also thins out the ranks of the faithful in the church. I'm sure after priests are allowed to marry and have children, they will pass on their conviction to their own children, and catholicism will have a steady supply of devout worshippers and clergymen.

And Jesus said unto them, "The sons of this world marry, and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection."
— Luke 20:34-36

Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others — and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
— Matthew 19:10-12

"It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband .... For I would that all men were even as I myself .... I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn with lust.”
— 1 Corinthians 7:1-9

"But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, they that have wives should live as though they had none."
— 1 Corinthians 7:29