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Originally Posted by FiftyBelow
Fair enough. The thing that surprises me though is that people are so surprised at his stances. He's a Catholic bishop after all. The church has been fairly stable in doctrine and this consistency remains in its bishops. There might be slight minute variances between each one but the major stances are generally well-maintained.
In terms of the broad range of views among Catholics, that can't be denied. However, break down Catholics into fully practicing and non-practicing and you'll see some consistency. Those who actually still go to church, receive the sacraments regularly etc.--actual Catholics--are largely in line with current doctrine. I often wonder why cafeteria Catholics even bother calling themselves Catholics if many of them don't even practice what is taught or believe in key tenets of the faith. Why not start another church... after all that is how the other Protestant churches began. It's at least more honest than trying to convince themselves they're still Catholic. What secular society doesn't realize is that the church is not meant to be democratic. It is meant to proclaim what it believes is truth.
Perspectives on hot button issues such as abortion, euthanasia, pre-marital sex etc. are based on Catholic doctrine and teachings that have been around for centuries. When the church sets a stance, they're not asking first and foremost what do the people desire, they're asking what is consistent with scripture, revelation, teachings etc.
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However in particular when it comes to educating children it is consistently Henry as opposed to other Canadian Catholic Bishops that oppose things like vaccinations. You can be anti-Pre-marital sex without being in favour of abstinence only education and against vaccinating people. His draconian application of Catholic belief was a problem.