The Pope would have an easier job than the President of the United States in adopting a change of course. He has no Congress alongside him as a legislative body nor a Supreme Court as a judiciary. He is absolute head of government, legislator and supreme judge in the church. If he wanted to, he could authorize contraception over night, permit the marriage of priests, make possible the ordination of women and allow eucharistic fellowship with this Protestant churches. What would a Pope do who acted in the spirit of Obama?

Everyone agrees the celibacy rule is just a Church law dating from the 11th century, not a divine command.

If you cannot see that divinity includes male and female characteristics and at the same time transcends them, you have bad consequences. Rome and Cardinal O'Connor base the exclusion of women priests on the idea that God is the Father and Jesus is His Son, there were only male disciples, etc. They are defending a patriarchal Church with a patriarchal God. We must fight the patriarchal misunderstanding of God.

historical arguments; traditional apologetics breaks down here. Since man is here dealing with God and this by definition means with the invisible, impalpable, uncontrollable, only one attitude is appropriate and required : believing trust, trusting faith.

The face he showed in Jesus is really his true and single face.

It considers this Jesus as ultimately decisive, definitive, archetypal for man in these various dimensions of his.

Even manifestly senseless suffering and death can have a meaning, can acquire a meaning. a hidden meaning.

To be no more than scholarly reflection on its object from one particular standpoint, which is anyway one legitimate standpoint among others.