Is the Roman Catholic Church changing and why?

Answer 1

AnswerIn spite of protestations to the contrary, the Roman Catholic Church does change, although at a glacial pace. The barrier to change within the Church is the claim that its doctrines and practices are inspired by God and therefore unchanging and unchangeable. In terms of doctrine, the usual practice is to first find that a doctrine, now seen as archaic or inappropriate, was never really part of the official teaching of the Church, so that it can subsequently be abandoned.

The Catholic Church once resisted scientific notions that it thought to be contrary to Chrurch teachings, to the point of persecuting those who proposed such ideas, or even having them executed. It is a significant change in strategy that the Church is now willing to embrace 'theistic evolution' of species, no matter how cautiously this has occurred.

In living memory, the Church has permitted mass to be celebrated in the vernacular, and a number of Catholic saints have ceased to be recognised on the grounds that they probably did not exist, and that the events associated with them did not really occur. So, Saint Christopher, who carried the baby Jesus across a river, is no longer recognised. The belief in Limbo is no longer recognised as an official doctrine and may soon be abandoned.

The rigidity of the Church has probably contributed to the relatively rapid diminution of its membership, at least in Western nations. There may come a time when the Church must be more willing to change, if it is to survive in its current form.

History shows that members of the Church hierarchy have from time to time been associated with lax moral standards. At long last, hundreds of priests have been denounced for paedophilia, and the senior hierarchy stands condemned for complicity by doing nothing to protect the little children. The Catholic Church says that this has all changed and that it will do everything in its power to protect children from abuse. Only time will tell whether this is real change or yet another cover-up.