Post by DThe church is not what it was with the current pope. It is more like
some kind of auxiliary department of the international socialist party,
to the enormous despair of some conservative catholics I know.
I was raised pre-Vatican II and drifted away when the changes started to
take affect. While i have problems with the theology, there is also a
cultural aspect. I find the modern Mass in the vernacular with the priest
facing the people, the altar rail dividing the divine and mundane, and the
communion in hand jarring. There was a mystery, call it theatrics, that
made the Mass something special that they have thrown away. Even the
church architecture of the new ones resembles the Protestant bus station
form with no decoration to make it special.
As far as the doctrinal changes I had hopes for Benedict but I think he
realized he was facing his own Deep State and had no chance of putting the
church back on course. As for Francis I would agree with the
sedevaantists.
Post by DThe church I think is also dieing. Apart from being culturally
integrated in south america and southern europe, I doubt it is growing.
If you would only count believers and discount the people who are only
catholic on paper, I'm sure it would be 50% smaller.
I haven't received the sacraments in over 50 years but I'm sure I'm still
counted as a Catholic. Once you're baptized it's almost impossible to
formally leave.
One of the churches streams the Mass and I was surprised at the number of
young people and families present. Maybe it's turning around. For a while
it was mostly old ladies and their husbands, if they could drag them
along.
Post by DThat in turn makes me think. Surely the church know that young people
today find it silly. Will they elect a "young" pope to try and reverse
the trend?
That's dangerous. Don't forget Vatican II was supposed to modernize the
church and make it more appealing to the people. I don't think hootenanny
masses were quite the answer. A religion needs tradition, ceremony, and
mystery to succeed in my opinion. If you truly believe what could be more
powerful than the Transubstantiation of bread and wine into the actual
Body of Christ?
Of course if you don't believe, it's all foolishness but that's religion.