General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Leftist priests: Francis can fix church 'in ruins' [View all]backscatter712
(26,355 posts)It's spelled out very clearly in one of the most widely read sets of laws in the Christian faith.
Yet throughout its history, the Roman Catholic Church has shown extraordinary flexibility in its level of adherance to that commandment.
Ptolemy used to be the canonical authority on correct astronomy, while Galileo was prosecuted, Bruno burned alive (whoops, so much for that "Thou shalt not kill" again...) for doing this thing called science, and suggesting that things worked differently, based on their observations and measurements of the heavens. They only apologized for that bit of persecution in the 1990's, IIRC. But now, they have a Vatican astronomer, a man of the cloth, who was interviewed by Bill Maher, and holds a modern view on cosmology, evolution and other sciences.
The Vatican can change their stance on homosexuality and women's issues. And in fact, they'll have to change if they want to remain relevant in the 21st century. Francis can lead his church, or he can sit on his butt and watch as the RCC continues to lose credibility.