Catholic hypocrisy - Andrew Sullivan finally 'gets it'

'Money quote', as Andrew is wont to say:

"I love my church. Its rules are inviolable and eternal, except when they're not. Kidman was legally married for ten years, had two kids, but, as far as the Catholic church is concerned, her marriage to Cruise did not exist! She didn't even have to seek an annulment. But the stricture against a Catholic's divorce and remarriage is absolute - and a Catholic who obeyed the rules all along, and got married in a Catholic first wedding, would be denied the sacraments and barred from re-marrying in church. I guess because I am deemed objectively disordered by my own church, I haven't been as aware of this transparent nonsense as I should have been." (Red highlights added for emphasis)

Of course it bothers me not at all that Nicole Kidman is able to marry again, nor indeed that her ex-spouse (or not, as the case may be, according to Catholic doctrine) Tom Cruise is now partnering, and fathering a child by, a woman many years younger than him, she (I read) having become enticed in her turn into the other cult relevant in this case, Scientology. Good luck to them all!

This latest evidence of religious hypocrisy by this particualar 'cult' (The Roman Catholic one, that is) should really be no surprise, though. This is after all the same organisation which for years, indeed decades, covered up the scandalous and criminal misdeeds of some of its 'agents' (aka priests) who could not seem to keep their hands, or other parts of their anatomy, away from young boys and which even went so far as to victimise the victims of these crimes should they have the temerity to speak out against their abusers, until the scandal became so huge that the secular authorities could no longer, or more specifically their electorate would no longer allow them to, turn a blind eye.

Lest people who are not familiar with my little blog be tempted to wonder whether this is simply a rant against the Roman Catholic Church rest assured - I hold most organised religion, of whatever creed, in similar contempt. Whatever good many of them have done from time to time must be weighed in the balance against the evils they have tolerated or, worse, perpetrated and it is not by any means always the case that such scrutiny shows a positive result.

Anyway Andrew, better that you see the light late rather than never.

For those who, inexplicably, have no idea what any of this is about, you can read all about it here.