It is not an extremist element. It is mainstream Catholic dogma. You say that confrontation is not the answer. I disagree. Nothing else will make the church alter its position in any significant way. You are advocating sitting on hands, nothing more. I don't see any significant groundswell in the Church that is going to change anything much at all. In fact, there are quite a few strong factions working in the opposite direction. In the meantime, the championing of ignorance and the condemnation of birth control and legal abortion is condemning thousands of women every year to stigma, infection, sterility or death. Doesn't make moving slowly and gradually sound very reasonable, does it?