What are the Catholic beliefs that are being criticised?

Answer 1

The beliefs that are among the most commonly criticized relate to women. First, much criticism is directed toward the Churches refusal to allow women to join the priesthood. It is entrenched in the view that women cannot lead a congregation but can only serve in subordinate roles.

Second, much criticism is directed toward the Churches role in preventing women from making their own health decisions. Much of that criticism results from the Churches efforts to impose its views on all women and not only Catholic women. The Church has always endeavored to inject its doctrines into civil law, especially in the United States where women have equality under the civil law.

Another issue that brought widespread criticism was the Churches position on abstinence as a way for women in undeveloped countries to avoid contracting AIDS when it is well known that such women have absolutely no control over their sexual lives. Women and female children are often victims of rape, they have no choice in the matter. The Vatican discouraged the use of condoms in Africa thereby contributing to an increase the number of helpless victims.

The world is highly critical of the long standing Catholic belief that prayer and penance could cure the sexual predation of children, and the commonplace transfer from parish to parish of priests who sexually molested children.