Dedications

Is not the Catholic Church becoming more of a political body and less of a Religious entity? It is politics of racism, where all Popes so far had been white. Politics of nationality were only broken when Pope John Paul II a Polish became the Pope to now Pope Benedict XVI, a German. Did it take so many centuries to believe a non Italian can represent Christ as the Head of the Catholic Church? Is it not politics of brushing aside sexual abuses of the Clergy and even protecting them and no strong action taken? Wish Christ was alive today so like in his time where he whipped out traders from outside the Temple, He would whip out rotten elements existing in the Church today.

Catholic Church is one of the richest institutions in the world with the poorest who practice it. It is no brainer that after the Crusades, evangelization was done with carrot on a stick, where it was mostly the poorest who were lured with food. Today countries like Mexico, countries in Africa and the Philippines to name a few are where one can see Catholics is poverty stricken environment. Christ said ‘Man cannot live on bread alone, but on every word of God’. Maybe the clergy took the words of Christ only partially and felt they need more than bread to lead a life, and what comes from the mouth of God the laity should follow.

Had the poor been uplifted in economic standards then the religion would be meaningful and of social relevance to what Christ did in his time. Christ went around healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, debating with teachers of the Temple, and advocating social moral values, teaching the rich to share, etc. The Church today instead wants to interfere and preach to medical & scientific fraternity on ethics of contraceptives, cloning, etc, but cannot even teach its followers the simplest gesture of generosity of organ donation after death. Eye donation after death can give sight millions worldwide. Other organ donation after death can help to save lives, but instead we just bury the good that can be done.

The only Catholic country in the world which is Ireland, one would see the most Majestic Churches built with very few who attend its services. The ones who attend are mostly the elderly. To make it worse is the Church’s diktat against abortion, making it one of the countries with the highest teenage pregnancies. Even a death of an Indian in Ireland who needed an abortion has not awakened the Church, but a Pope who feels he is ill, just resigns. Wish many from the clergy could resign on grounds of low moral values and abuse of power. Vocations to the Catholic Faith are dwindling and so are the ones who practice it. Vocations in India are coming from the poor and backward communities and thus affecting the quality of vocations. 2013 is dedicated as ‘year of the faith’, just leaves one wondering how faith can be increased by dedicating a year to it, instead of dedicating every day to being a day of increasing in faith.

The only way forward is the clergy ‘reworking and unlearning’ on their faith and values and being models of Christ to its followers. With a Pope who can be a beacon of humility and a proof of his vows of Poverty. Being leader who can be Christ like and not someone resigning over a flimsy reason of ill health. Looking at way the way the Church is heading, it gives an impression even ‘Christ has resigned’.