Opinion of the Roman Catholic Church

[RI]

While it is undeniable that many evils have and continue to exist within the Church, I feel like most people overlook the fact that the Catholic Church does, by far, the most good of any church in the world.

No other church has the level of dedication to social justice and the welfare of every person as the Catholic Church does. The Church operates thousands of hospitals, thousands of shelters, and thousands of schools throughout the world where there would otherwise be none. No other church does more for the impoverished, the hungry, and the needy of their communities than the Catholic Church. They never turn away a person in need. They practice a philosophy of peace, and actively help those seeking asylum from conflict and war.

The Catholic Church has been a friend of the scientific and artistic communities for many centuries now. Many of the greatest paintings and sculptures of the exist solely because of the Church. They are not so crass as to deny the discoveries of science, unlike so many other churches. They do not preach a exclusivity like many others religions, and, in fact, foster intellectual inquiry.

Of course the Church has its issues. It has deep ones at that. The Church needs to be more open to the reality that they are, as any institution made up of people, capable of errors, hypocrises,  and failings, occasionally terrible ones. Instead of trying to pursue a persona of incorruptibility, they must more readily flush those who commit grave crimes from their system and hold them accountable.

Nevertheless, the percentage of priests who do commit these acts of pedophilia is very minute; in fact, sexual abusers make up a much lower percentage amongst priests than amongst the general population. These are people who have willingly chosen what they knew to be a life of chastity; it was not forced upon them. If they wanted to have sex, they should have chosen a different line of work. The problem is not the system, but the individuals who abuse it.