It's a funny old church

It’s a funny old church. 

It’s a funny old church where you can get excommunicated for allowing an abortion to be performed on a woman who doctors say would otherwise have died like this

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126985072 

However, decades of savagely abusing children or covering up the abuse and hiding the abusers does not qualify.  And if that’s not enough, you can’t voluntarily leave.

The Puzzled Reader: You wha?

You can’t get out.  If you were born into it they still count you. 

The Puzzled Reader: So I haven’t been to mass since I was 8, I worship a Chestnut tree but I am still a Catholic?

Technically yes.  When they say there are 700 zillion catholics in the world, you are one of them.   You used to be able to renounce but they suspended the mechanism of renunciation.   They changed canon law to do away with it.  Look here:

http://countmeout.ie/update200711.php

The Puzzled Reader: The same canon law that they said was adequately dealing with abuse?  Shocking.  That is a funny old church, alright.  Oops, here’s me boss!   ALT+ TAB