Quote Originally Posted by rory_20_uk View Post
Catholics main unique selling point is their direct linkage to Peter, the first Pope (as he himself said he was and no-one else had travelled to Rome to refute this). Can the church trim the bits that don't fit in with today whilst still holding onto this tenuous link?

Sure it can.

Just like you could call Wankerpool a crappy team because that's what they are today, whithout being affected by the throphies they won back in the days of horrible haircuts and facial hair. Yet they are still a continuation of the team that started playing in Liverpool over a hundred years ago.

I don't really see why acknowledging the horrible crimes committed by guys wearing the pointy hats way back yesterday should affect their link to the very beginnings of the church. They could just see it as a longer version of this: good times -> some rotten years -> good times again.