Roman Catholic Church "Silent Martyrs"

I agree, Cifer. We've been way too quiet on such things that go on inside and outside of the church.
I don't know who said this--it might have been Archbishop Fulton Sheen--but I like the saying "There isn't one person who doesn't like the Catholic church, but there are many people who don't like what they perceive to be the Catholic church."
It's so true. People fear what they don't understand. That's why we need to charitably explain what we believe and why we believe it.

I stand to my faith.. I'm proud to be a Catholic..=D (have nothing more to say) because I'm firm with my faith.

If you are a decent, honest person, I dare you to read this message to the end. If you have any integrity and honesty at all, you will hear me out and not refuse to read what I am saying.

The Catholic Church has martyred more people than all the other religions combined. Over 3-5,000 people died in the Spanish Inquisition alone, that is just in one country. Jews, Atheists, Catholics who didn't honor everything the Pope said- they were judged in trials by priests of the Dominican Order- right up until the year 1700 - the victims were tortured until they confessed to heresy, then burned at the stake or hung until they died.

Thousands of "witches" were also executed by the Pope's order throughout the middle ages. Witches would be identified by priests and put on trial, tortured until they confessed, and then killed (usually by burning or hanging)

The Catholic church also executed hundreds of Protestants.

Know your history!

The Catholic Church hasn't been persecuted lately- except about the Priests who have been molesting children. Many priests have been found guilty. That is not the worst part- the worst part is that the Vatican, under direct orders of the Pope, had these priests transferred from parish to parish. When a priest was found to be molesting children in one parish, and people complained, he was told to pray. After a period of prayer and fasting, he was considered cured, and transferred to another parish. Some priests were transferred four and five times- and were allowed to molest literally dozens (or in some cases even hundreds) of children.

Ireland's Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse recently issued a 2,600 page report about child abuse at Catholic Orphanages and their schools. I got this from the Associated Press, the biggest news outlet in the world, not from some anti-catholic site.

They described systematic rapes, beatings, and humiliations perpetrated by priest and workers at these schools, (order- Brothers of Mercy) Do a google search- mylot wont' let me post the link. (news dot yahoo dot com slash slash ap slash 20090520 slash ap_on_re_eu slash eu_ireland_catholic_abuse ) The nuns used special tools to beat the girl children, boys were systematically raped again and again, and beaten. According to Vatican Records- yes, the records taken right from the Vatican, that the Pope had access to- the Pope and the Cardinals knew about this abuse ever since the 1930s- this comes directly from Vatican's own writing. The abuse lasted right up until the 1990s, meaning that the church officials let it go on for 60 years.

Now, I predict that you won't look into any of this information. You won't believe it, even though its true. You will instead attack me and bury your head back into the sand, ignoring the truth as you can. I say that you will ignore the truth, although thousands of molested children can not. But you have that luxury, to be blindly faithful to your church and ignore reality. I am sure you will do that.

I don't know where this is coming from as all the history I have read, it has been the other way around. Have you not read the Foxes Book of Martyrs? The crime during the Dark Ages were the doings of the Catholic church. All the men like Luther, Huss, etc. were persecuted by the Roman Catholic church. Even kings have had to bow before the Roman Catholic church pope. Interestingly enough it will be the Protestant churches who will reach across the ocean and give the Roman Church its power back in order to accomplish their goals.

With due respect the Catholic Church has done it's own fair share of persecutions through the ages.

I'm a Protestant (Anglican) and Europe was devastated by religious persecution for several hundred years.

In terms of the criticism of the Catholic Church today I'm not sure that it receives a greater or lesser degree of criticism than any Christian Church in terms of religious belief, but the human agencies associated with the Church have come under (quite rightfully) criticism for their treatment of women and abuse of Children in soem parts of teh world.

This only generates criticism of the people involved, not teh religious beliefs.

My faith is strong enough to resist criticism; I will carry on believing it despite the public criticism and abuse often thrown at anyone who expresses a religious belief these days. If your faith can't stand a little criticism, then perhaps you need to consider renewing it in some way.