Please stop it. I am a Catholic who attended non-parochial Catholic schools. I received an excellent, liberal and open-minded education. We were not(and are not) subject to Archdiocesan regulation. Even way back then in the 60's and 70's as a grade schooler I knew that what we were learning was much different than what my parish school friends were being taught. They were trained not to question rules, while we were taught to question and attempt to validate the reasons for them. My teachers, both religous and lay, were highly educated, and presented all points of view on political issues, including abortion, birth control and the death penalty.
Many Catholic theologians, many Catholic orders, such as the Jesuits, RSCJ's, and the Paulists are as I have described. Unfortunately, many parish priests and faculty are products of the 'no questioning allowed' type of education and perpetuate it. Additionally, due to the dearth of newly ordained priests, there is no longer a wide variety of points of view in the parish priest pool. Most new priests are much more conservative than in the past. (Think about it, who else is really going to sign up these days?) So, there are problems in parishes, and there are power struggles as these new priests try to lay down the law, and antagonize their flock. Personally, I think that eventually there will be married priests allowed, simply because the numbers aren't there to staff the churches otherwise. And that will be a good thing.
All of this being said, I am hurt and resentful of the jeering and snide remarks that I am reading every time the Church takes a stupid stand. The molestations and cover-ups are a disgrace and a criminal matter. The Church isn't handling it well, and IMO should not be the institution handling it at all, the courts should. That doesn't give writers license to link every stupid decision made by a dull-witted parish priest to a subliminal desire to molest children. Your remarks are collateral and gratuitous and I am getting offended and sick of it.