Seamus, I'm not attacking your faith, your dogma, your co-practioners or even, for the most part, your priests. My issues lie squarely with those at the diosecan leadership level and above.

You've got the Cardinal of Los Angeles, Roger Mahoney coming out this week and telling Catholics they must disobey their government and help illegal immigrants break the law and drain wealth out of the social services budgets.

I actually have on several occassions received letters from the diosecan offices for Norwich, CT; Providence, RI and Charlotte NC telling me who they considered to be the only candidate of choice for Catholics of conscience (sorry for the alliteration). I still get them, along with Bishop's appeals, even though I formally quit 4 years ago!

I'm not saying the Catholic Church is alone in this. I think every body of organization, of any flavor, informs its members which way the official stance is leading, from ACT-UP to the American Legion. My point wasn't that the RCC was unique in this, but that they are incredibly active politically.

As for 'opening the books' on the abuse coverup... they allowed a self-appointed panel to review documents they themselves chose to make available. After two years of their own panel reviewing the documents they chose to make available, surprise, surprise, the panel found nothing, so the American Council of Bishops is considering disbanding the review panel. Sounds more than a little fishy to me, and I think it was a white-wash of the first order.

I have nothing against the faith or the people that practice it. I have huge problems with the so-called Princes of the Church and their failure to hold themselves accountable to even their own standards.