Mrs. Duck says Fry "spoke on the motion that the Catholic Church (as an institution) was not a force for good as its dogmas had historically and currently caused harm to individuals or groups."

I would submit that the dogmas (official teachings of the Catholic Church) are generally benign - and if not, at least they're innocuous. The practices of the power structure of the Catholic Church (and, indeed, of most every organization) are another matter, and seem to be dominated by power issues rather than by what is at the essence of the organization.

Take a close look at any organization that has an effect on your life. Is it the leadership and authority structure of the organization that affects you, or is it the people in that organization who have direct contact with you?

I submit that for most Catholics, Rome is unimportant. If you want to understand how the Catholic faith affects Catholics, you have to look at the life within individual parishes - not at the power structure. The power structure, for the most part, is barely relevant. It's individuals that count.

-Joe-