The Church as Absolute Monarchy (News Stories)

by James, Australia, Wednesday, April 07, 2010, 13:00 (1141 days ago) @ Brian Coyne

The Catholic Church at the moment has become living proof of Lord Acton's dictum about power corrupting and absolute power corrupting absolutely.

The problem is that the Pope has absolute power - no one can judge the "First See", according to Canon Law. He is above the law. There is no reputable organization in the world that has that sort of structure, and now we are seeing the fruits of it.

This is a point made a couple of times by Tom Doyle in his recent interviews. There are no checks and balances that the rest of humanity realized a long time ago were necessary to at least minimize the corruption of power.

But like Charles I, like the Bourbons, like the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa providing a biblical foundation for apartheid, like those Israelis wanting to take over Palestinian lands, the hierarchy who have the benefit of the power and the property will find a biblical justification for the status quo which is to their benefit. Just wait for "Tu es Petrus" to be trotted out again.

I think you are right Brian. We are seeing the collapse, and like all of those collapses historically, once it starts, they just seem to accelerate.