They have more recently imposed things like protecting the article text so that you can’t cut and paste a quote from it in your discussion.

There is no response whatsoever to complaints.

I think you are well out of there, actually. I wish the blogger I follow there would leave as well. Until then, I read via Disqus redirect and avoid giving any hits to the site, and use an ad-blocker.

You might find this interesting: https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-agrees-his-critics-pope-can-be-wrong

Part of me finds it slightly amusing. Francis’s critics say “he got that wrong!” Francis says “yes, I can things wrong.” His critics then complain that he has admitted that he can get things wrong.

People …!

“I prefer a less authoritarian structure.” On this I agree. Although I prefer action to talk. When I see a Pope that addresses the idolatry of the office as something that has to change then I will listen. Until then I just see a lot of different people from different sects talking about things they never do…

No, I’m not! But I do think that Catholic theology has much going for it. Not so keen on some of the ‘church order’ stuff: I prefer a less authoritarian structure. I like Pope Francis a lot – very thoughtful and engaging in my opinion.

So you are a Catholic priest? That would explain some things to me.

Hot New Seattle Church Launched by Mexican-American Pastor Marco Driscolito

True – racism is a problem the world over; the issue is how societies attempt to deal with it. In the UK, there are laws such as the Racial and Religious Hatred Act (2006), and, in the US, the Constitution, which – properly understood and applied through specific legislation – effectively outlaws promoting hatred on grounds of race or religion. As we know only too well, these legal instruments often do not ‘work’, but they do show an attempt to address unjust discrimination, and, especially in the UK, are enforced when possible. (Article 25 of the Indian Constitution does guarantee freedom of conscience, but people’s practical circumstances can impinge on their ability to enjoy that right.)

Social media, and the ways it can cause people to ‘live in ghettos’ with only those who agree with them, is a real problem. One of the things I have working on in the church I attend and minister in is to give people space to discuss their differences of viewpoint. I think that’s very important for all concerned.

But, in the end, as you suggest, it is a matter of ‘hearts and minds’. I might quote from my own homily last Sunday: “to suggest that someone is somehow less than human because of their ethnicity is to spit in God’s Face.” That’s what we all need to understand if we are to make real progress against the scourge of racism.

The caste system has its own kind of racism or whatever you want to call it. And it should be noted that it is also a problem elsewhere even in Great Britain. The reality is that there are many kinds of biases that could fit under a Racism with capital R banner. We use many different ways to discriminate against others just because they are not like us. In the modern age with this social media people are even making up new ones based on criteria that brings together people of like minds and hearts that are tiny minorities geographically. This is surely a problem and it is rooted in pride. It is also a problem of not seeing all humans as being made in the image of God.

I am very clear about who/what I donate money to, thank you!

It should indeed be recognized that the problems faced by Muslims and Christians are partly the result of their social position in that particular culture, and it can be asked to what extent any persecution is purely about religion.