I've been ignoring this thread because MY religion is the best and only true one. So there, that settles it.

Now...I have a minor in both theology and philosophy due to an education in Roman Catholic schools that covers kindergarten through my undergraduate degree. I worked 40+ years as a librarian, and I do have some knowledge of social science as well as statistics and some other bits of math (game theory, modeling, etc.).

I have noticed, and various studies agree, that in general Catholics do not march in lockstep with each other much less those in the Vatican. Vatican II -- the Second Vatican Council -- stated that the Church cannot prevent anyone from "sinning" (well, duh!), it can only provide moral guidance.

Pope Francis recently said much the same thing: stop being so scrupulous about things (being scrupulous is not a good thing for Catholics) like gay marriage and abortion and get out and actually WORK with the poor and disenfranchised of the world. The Church has made its position clear on these over and over, so if you are unaware of it it's your own fault.

I also like the work he's been doing cleaning out the cobwebs in the Vatican -- last year the late Archbishop of Milan stated flatly that the Catholic church is "at least 200 years behind the times."