I'm afraid Bill Maher is spot on. And, though some people take heart from recent statements about divorce, etc., the changes are headline-grabbing but, ultimately, piffling. The Catholic church's stranglehold on people's sex lives is not only one of its biggest trump cards, it's also the main characteristic which sets Catholicism apart from other, more benign forms of Christianity. As soon as the Catholic Church allows real debate (which means debate with at least some prospect of sea-changes at the end of it) on real sex education, gay marriage, birth control and abortion, it ceases to be distinguishable from the other variants. Oh, I know about the twaddle regarding transubstantiation and all that, but at least that doesn't make millions of people miserable.