500 Catholic Workers Gather on Their 75th.-Issue Statement to U.S. Bishops on Chrurch & the War!

To paraphrase Bill Hicks, I think you've found yourself at the wrong meeting (or on the wrong thread in this case).  The anti-Catholic bigotry thread is over on NotoPope, maybe soon to reinvent itself as NototheDaliaLama, NotoArchbishopofCanterbury if they think there's some free capitalist media spotlight to surf by playing roles as extras in an event.

"yes, well its good to see some actual "left"
radical and progressive good people tolerated in the catholic church."

In my long experience the church folks have a better record in practise on tolerance (not a bad value) than the secular left.  Let's face it a collection of lapsed WASP's protesting multiracial/multicultural Catholics (defnition "universal") from 170 countries was never going to be a good look in such a segregated city as Sydney, universally notorious for it  whiteboy racist beach riot recently.

"But unfortunately they insist on promoting catholicism" ,

My participation on this site over the past weeks has not been to promote Catholicism but to defend the right of Catholics to assemble in Sydney. As mentioned on the other thread this right was denied in Derry by British forces shooting 14 unarmed Catholics and by Australian trained Indonesian troops when the massacred 200+ at a Catholic funeral in Dili (other examples are endless).

"a most heirachial form of christianity where democracy is not practiced but ONLY submission to the SEXIST AUTHORITY of the Pope.
This churches  internal male dominated unmarried clergy is continualy abusing its powers over those placed under their authority including women and children practices protected by the church even while in public proclaiming its opposition."

Say it three times and believe it. I find going to mass an extremely feminie experience. The church is a billion strong and full of dynamic debate and action. Being threatened by a bunch of PC liberals does not help the Catholic radicals in these debates.  For example, I haven spent/wasted my time and energy defending the right of Catholics to assemble than participate in these internal debates over the past weeks. 

"A religion ,that In practice historicalyhas  allied with the state since constantine, for say 1600 years and in the present, that has been proved to so too in its practice itv is a church that serves the propertied rich and the ruling classes."

Also a chuch that has provided the most militant nonviolent resistance within the United States since the Vietnam War . faithbased direct actionists that have a longer shelf life than most secular dire actionists. For all its faults the Catholic church remains the church of the poor.

 - the secular left don't.

"Its bishops and cardinals(e.G. spellman) have blessed many unjust wars internationaly and still actively supports imperialist class war against the poor especialy in the third world.

Its solution to social problems is simply protecting propertied interests while encouraging "charity" handouts" .

Practisng the acts of mercy, the foundation of the Catholic Worker, is direct action. Even St. Vincent de Paul "when you give to the poor, first apologise for having more than your fair share"...is pretty rad.

There are radical Bishops and cardinals like Arn, Camara etc but the further up any hierarchy you go the less room there is for your conscience to flex.  This is a significant reason that Bishops and Cardinals are rarely canonised as saints in the Catholic tradiition.

"This Church is A proven failure at social change even when state power is in their hands in predominately catholic societies."

Would you like to quote some left successes with state power in their hands....ANC, Mugabe, Fretlin, Stalin??????

Jesus rejected the demands of the crowd to sieze state power as a means ushering in the kingdom, the Church.  The church always betrays the kingdom of god when it embraces state power.  The church is only relevant in so much it facilitates the coming of the Jesus kingdom

"one need only mention the PRACTICE in Phillipines a predominately catholic society where pwerfull cardinals like Sinn have weilded great power.

So,ONE WORD oN REAL WORLD PRACTICE :

PHILLIPINES. "

The radical church/basic christian community movement was the mainstay of social movements in the Phillipines. The moderate Church brought down Marcos. Do you really know anything about the Phillipnes, seems not.

"Its a waste of time urging reason on people who choose to accept on faith whatever the pope tells them is dogma."

You seem to be as ignorant of Catholicism as you are the Phillipines here.

"And not the actual real world CHURCH PRACTice of proclaiming the perfect as ideal but that suffering is good for the soul anyway."

Human suffering abounds.  As a first world white boy or girl you have the option of pushing your share of suffering on the third. Your choice.  If you confront the imperial state, you will suffer. Whether this is redemptive or not depends a lot on you. 

"p.S for thVose posing as poor persecuted irish catholics read a little on Cardinal Roger Mahoney. etc"

....wow sounds like we're dealing with one angry wasp here

This post was about the Catholic Worker, you're comment has nothing to do with the post.  The Catholic Worker in Los Angeles http://lacatholicworker.org/ has served the homeless of the skid row area for over 25 years and has a long history of prophetically confronting the Cardinal.

It's been an interesting relatonship of creative tension.  Following the arrest of Catholic Workers blockading the Cardinal's groundbreaking for the new expensive unnecessary Cathedral, Catholic Workers were summoned to the chancery.  The Cardinal railed at them and at one point lost it - stating Catholic Workers are not Catholicin the big "C" o rlittle "c".  After calming down the Cardinal came to celebrate mass at the Catholic Worker soup kitchen on the corner of 6th. and Gladyss, skid row.  This is our church with all its faults and glory - full of conservatives, liberals, radicals, prophets, contemplatives, working class and bureaucrats.  Just leave us alone, don't deny us our right to assemble and debate and we'll sort out our problems. Its a voluntary organisation, don't like it? don't join it!
Born into it, don't like it, leave it.

The pope is the teaching authority of our tradition.

The bishops are there to keep this wonderfu pluralistic universal herd/phenomenon together.

The Catholic Worker is one of the prophetic manifestations of the church and one of the oldest anarchist movements in North America, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortablefor over 75 years.