I do sympathise with Joe Offer and others when they complain that anything to do with Catholicism ends up being rendered down into discussions about buggering priests.

However, until the Vatican stops this silly infallibility nonsense and accepts they are not above question, your average Catholic has to put up with being linked to the medieval attitudes of their church bosses.

Either the Vatican doesn't represent the Catholic position or it does. If it doesn't, then flog the paintings and sculptures to pay for aid in poor countries, or if it does, then be prepared to be linked to the incompetent dealings with serious crimes. Hearing the secretary of state say that peodophilia is linked to homosexuality, or the other joker saying that criticism of the church is the same as anti semitism or the other one dismissing it all as rumour and mischief....

It is bad enough that these jokers try telling people how to run their lives, but worse still, they believe things that don't exist, never did exist and never can exist. They use this fantasy as a control mechanism. Silly me... buggering children IS a control mechanism... The church was set up as it was useful to those who wanted the masses to be downtrodden. (Not just Christianity, but the reason for existence of the God concept in general.)

Of course, as I am not superstitious, my view will be dismissed by shallow people who still cling onto the hope there are fairies at the bottom of the garden....