Does the Catholic Church have ANY checks and balances?

[Quixote1818]

It just seems ridiculous that a few Radical Conservative Cardinals who are out of touch with reality and are so worried about losing their power that they protect one another by covering up all the sex scandals can put fourth dogma with out being checked. Meanwhile millions may die in Africa from AIDS because of their INSANE beliefs.

It seems to me that Liberal Catholic political groups need to rise up and demand the new Pope opens up his mind to see the light. If Catholics don't threaten to leave then the Church won't ever change. TRUE JESUS LIKE CATHOLICS NEED TO RISE UP AND SPEAK THEIR MINDS!!!! Millions of lives depend upon it. If Catholics start leaving the Church then perhaps that is the only way the Church will change. I am not a Catholic so I don't know how all this works. What can be done?

[efhmc]

1. Not a Catholic ,but I don't think it works that way.

[Quixote1818]

2. Yes, that's what worries me. But perhaps if Catholics start leaving

then the leadership will have to start changing to survive.

[Inland]

3. Bitching. Leaving. That's about it.

And threatening to leave over dogma gets as many "don't let the door hit you in the ass" comments from conservatives as anything. They would sooner have it pure and blissfully quiet as changed.

It's just the way it is, for a voluntary institution run on a top down authoritiarian structure.

[demnan]

4. This happened already a few centuries ago

and his name was Martin Luther.

[carnie_sf]

5. The church

has been on a downhill slide since Constantine converted.

[burn the bush]

6. God is the only checks and balances

and they will be so surprised to learn that God doesn't think abortion, birth control and gays are the most important things going on in this world. I think if their is a God that HE/SHE will be very pissed at some religious leaders.

It's stupid and in my opinion immoral for that idiot to decry that birth control is wrong when this world is over flowing with babies that can't be cared for. It's totally aasinine for the church to involve itself in the US politics by announcing that voting for pro choicers will land you in hell. If you do land there, just look to your right and you will see past popes and televanelist sitting in a big pile of burning horse shit. God will be very pissed at these people.

[WillowTree]

7. Irrefutable fact.

And I keep repeating it, but few seem to be listening.

One more time: The Catholic Church is not a democracy. The Church does not bend its dogma to suit the times or the wishes of rank-and-file Catholics and even less so to suit non-Catholics. That consistency has a lot to do with why it has survived longer than any other religion apart from Judaism, which has also remained amazingly consistent in its teaching of faith.

The Catholic Church is what it is and essentially what it has been for 2000 years, give or take, and, while some relatively small attitude adjustments may come along, the chances of seeing any substantial dogmatic changes in any of our lifetimes is virtually nil.

[fishwax]

8. Another irrefutable fact

The church is not a monolith, either. There are different attitudes/factions/coalitions within the church which exert influence in varying ways and degrees. Plenty of people currently alive have seen substantial dogmatic changes in their lifetimes via Vatican II. Another shift of that magnitude is pretty unlikely for the forseeable future, but effecting change is possible. That said, the church isn't hurting for membership worldwide, so a boycott by progressive western catholics wouldn't exactly bring the church to its knees.

[Quixote1818]

10. I guess the one bright spot is 75% of American Catholics say they

will follow their own conscience and not what comes out of the Vatican.

[barb162]

9. Overpopulation really gets my goat re the RCC but the AIDS

problem is really NOT AT ALL about the RCC. I found Botswana is about the worst as far as AIDS goes, 1 of 3 sexually active adults affected. The major religion there is NOT RCC. I think the RCC is extremely strict about adultery and it seems if people were strict RCC adherents, they wouldn't be spreading it around.

check the below link on the religion
http://www.classbrain.com/art_cr/publish/botswana_religious_freedom_report.shtml