patriciacollingDear Travis, Thank you for your post. Actually, I was brought up Catholic but I always looked at mass as a spiritual nourishment and it had more significance to me it would seem than other family members–I didn’t and don’t think of my involvement with the Church as a political position. I guess I never paid much attention to the political nuance or the leadership in the Church for that matter as I developed my devotion to the faith. Even when I went to see the Pope in the early nineties (I think I was just asked if I wanted to go–of which, I’m pretty sure I was just like, “sure, why not”). Anyway, I didn’t have a relationship with the papacy like it appeared the thousands around me did; but I did appreciate that there were more people than I realized of whom faith mattered. Now that I am more aware of things political, and as I have graduated my original spiritual obligation of practicing a religion to contemplating the life of Jesus Christ, I am prepared to discuss any misguidance I perceive. That is not to say that I haven’t accepted the governance of the Church; I think I just view it as a structure that keeps me challenged and honest rather than some infallible entity–not to say that entity doesn’t fall into God’s plan. It’s so easy to dismiss the world around me when my relationship with God has always been so much more personal; but, over the past few years I have found that the bible and faith are so relevant to the paradigms in which we find ourselves in this world. So far, I have no problem with the Roman Catholicism being the “one apostolic Church” but that is not to say that I dismiss other communities of faith or find mine infallible. Thank you for your prayers, I am happy for you for your blessing and pray for you in regards to your spiritual life as well as your health and safety while fulfilling your life in this world. Sincerely, Tricia