Thoughts about leaving the Catholic Church

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As the Catholic Church has more negative things come out into the open, many may be wondering why some people are still members of the church. There can be reasons why some stay and why it might be wise to attend a Catholic service once in your life.

“The Catholic Church is a criminal organization.” In the light of more allegations of sexual abuse in the United States and elsewhere, that is what some critics are saying about the church. So should people give up on the church? With the rising number of convictions and charges against Catholic leaders in this country and others, it is tempting to write off Catholicism.

In the 1500's many people did just that. The Catholic Church lost huge swaths of church members in England, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Scotland, France and other European countries.

This was a historical period known as the Reformation.

During that time most of those who left the church formed other churches such as the Anglican, Lutheran and Presbyterian.

In more recent times others have left the Catholic Church for those churches or have stayed away from organized religion altogether.

The complaints against the Catholic Church during and after the Reformation are well known. Many reject the authority of the Pope. Some have difficulty with the apparent wealth of the church. The celibacy of the priesthood is rejected by most other churches. The lack of focus on the Bible and a perceived over-emphasis on the traditions of the church have rubbed many critics and ordinary Christians the wrong way. The Catholic doctrines on human sexuality and other issues trouble many, myself included.

And now, the numerous revelations of sexual abuse have given people much more reason to be concerned about, or to walk away from, the Roman Catholic Church.

Nevertheless, it remains difficult to square these negatives with the experience that many have of the church. Some years ago I was a non-Catholic chaplain at Western and Fanshawe (I am not Catholic).

The Catholic communities at Western were always hospitable to me, allowing me the use of their facilities. Catholic faculty were consistently encouraging; I thought of them as my best allies on the campuses and when one looks around London, one sees many Catholic Churches and schools in which, presumably, most of the interactions between leaders, teachers, youth and families are positive.

The Catholic Church has a very strong sense of community. It has, following the example of Jesus himself, championed love, reconciliation and grace as cornerstones for all human relations.

The church has a rich tradition of sharing the story and example of Jesus Christ with people of many cultures. It is arguably the most diverse community on the planet.

Catholicism has historically been a positive influence all over the world.

Here in Canada, the church has established many hospitals, schools, universities and organizations to help the vulnerable.

So, many may wonder why more Catholics don't leave the church, but when one looks at the larger picture, as I have tried to do here, an answer to that question begins to emerge.

How might Catholic students and faculty respond to their church given the damage that has been done within their community? No doubt, a lot of Catholics will continue to recall all the good that the church has done. Many will be praying, as we all can, that the church will truly understand and deal with the stories of victims and church members will, I am sure, continue to work to bring the Catholic Church to a better place.

While I agree with most of the criticisms of the church and while the church is experiencing a great deal of brokenness, it remains a world-wide community that has much to give.

At its core, it is responsible to the person of Jesus Christ. He lived with us, taught a hopeful way of life and then died and returned from death for our benefit. It is his presence in the church that can restore it and bring a new day for the church, and indeed, for the world.

If you have been curious about the Catholic Church, but never visited one on a Sunday morning, now might not be a bad time to do that. You may not agree with everything you hear and see, but you may also be encouraged by a good deal of what you discover.

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