More shame for the Catholic Church

This week, a report on the Magdalene Laundries is due to be published. In recent years, there have been more and more scandals being unveiled which the Catholic church is responsible for. I was raised Catholic, and hit all my religious milestones. I was even an altar girl! As I got older, I was able to understand more, research and form my own opinions on things. One of the things that shook me to the core, and continues to do so is the Catholic church and the stronghold it has had in Ireland for decades.

I have a major problem with the Catholic church's view on women. Regarding abortion, it's a no-go area for the church. Life is sacred, and for them, life begins at conception. Personally, I just can't condone supporting a cause that values a foetus above a woman, wife, sister, aunt etc. The sexual abuse which those acting under the Vatican have committed. There are no female priests or Popes, the Vatican even went so far as to call "attempted ordination" of women one of the gravest crimes in ecclesiastical law." They then placed their foot firmly in their mouth by stating "The change put the "offence" on a par with the sex abuse of minors" That, in itself, speaks volumes about how out of touch they really are. I also think it's fucking rich of them to bring up sex abuse of minors as a case study to quell the notion of female clergy. Their messiah Jesus didn't seem to have any beef with women, although the only majorly positive emphasis is put on his mother Mary and martyred female saints, who chose God over all else. If that's not leading the proverbial lamb to slaughter, I'm not sure what is. 

Basically, this.

I want to make it clear that I'm not anti-Catholic in my views, many of my friends follow the Catholic teachings and are proud of their faith. My issue is with the Catholic church as an institution. For years there have been cover ups regarding sexual abuse, institutions for 'shamed' or 'fallen' women, physical and emotional abuse from those in power, it just goes on. Granted the Catholic church has done some good in the way of educating and feeding those in the third world, but for a price. Become Catholic and we'll help you. Food and education in exchange for a soul, if you believe such a thing exists.  

Neither my fiance or I are religious. We're getting married this year and will not be having a church wedding, there will be no mention of Catholic sentiment and that's how we want it. I don't go to mass, I do not plan to baptise any of my children and I certainly won't be giving the church any money on our wedding day. Although we're not religious, we live by a basic ethos of respecting people and expecting the same respect back. If you're an asshole to me, I won't turn the other cheek and forgive you. I'll think you're an asshole and probably think less of you, because let's face it. That's human nature. 

Magdalene laundry

Today TheJournal published an article about the daughter of a woman who had been incarcerated by the Magdalene laundries. On Twitter, the hashtag #JusticeforMagdalenesNOW is trending, which I'm glad to see. This is one of the most recent shameful scandals that the Catholic church has to answer to. People should talk about this and ensure that this is something that is never forgotten. 

On this blog, I try to put a positive slant on things, so where, in all this negativity and shame can there be a positive note? The good thing that I have taken from this, is that change is happening. More people are becoming informed, they're making informed decisions and not following an ethos mindlessly. Catholic numbers are in decline, less people are attending mass. The Pope has turned to Twitter in an attempt to reconnect! People are speaking out about their experiences in the church and discussion is happening. Through the use of technology, stories and experiences are being shared and recorded so that hopefully, future generations will not witness such atrocities from a body of power in their lifetime.