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Comment by jimlongton | Hacker News Reader

The linked site appears to be run mostly by American Catholic activists in their early 20s. I doubt they know anything about the reality of Catholicism in Ireland. I'm Irish and I've never heard of the author either. If he thinks Ireland is still mainly Catholic or that the Church is still widely respected or influential he must be living in another reality.

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A funny thing about American Catholic converts I've met is that they seem to decide they're more Catholic than the Pope on day 2. You can't take the Protestant out of a Protestant apparently, even if they want to do everything in Latin.

This is a common phenomenon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeal_of_the_convert (Or at least the perception is common.)

There is that, but I meant literally: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedevacantism. As in they think they are Catholic and the pope is not Catholic. And so seem to have missed the point that listening to that guy is basically the point of joining up.

> And so seem to have missed the point that listening to that guy is basically the point of joining up.

That would be news to a lot of Catholics, myself included.

I grew up Catholic and I'm always suspicious of converts. Inevitably they're all reactionaries more interested in opposing abortion and "RETVRNING" to pre-Vatican II, as opposed to be drawn to helping the poor, providing quality education, abolishing the death penalty, or anything else encompassed by Catholic Social Teaching.

Roman Catholicism is not a perfect denomination -- or religion for that matter -- but what is? It is however a lot more nuanced and encompassing than the the facile understanding often promoted online.

Most converts are related to marriage and don't have strong opinions and may have done it for bookkeeping rather than true belief.

Literally zero interdenominational marriages at my parents’ church have a convert, including my mom.

There’s not really a point unless you really want communion for some reason.

Also, I think it’s pretty obvious I wasn’t talking about people drug to to church by their spouse.

> If he thinks Ireland is still mainly Catholic or that the Church is still widely respected or influential he must be living in another reality.

90% of primary schools in Ireland are Catholic [1] [2]. That doesn't sound like a country where the Catholic Church has lost widespread influence.

[1] https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/are-we-failing-non...

[2] https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-r...

Their influence has dropped significantly. Historically a Catholic priest would be principle or have unfettered access to children. They would often just arrive into classrooms and throw their weight around or physically assault children.

That has almost entirely stopped. There are now strict child protection laws. Parents can generally opt their kids out of religious instruction. Church attendance in Ireland has collapsed. The patronage of schools by the churches is mostly now a vestige of the past and will eventually be phased out, then the religious orders now accept that.

That is very misleading since it is purely because of historical reasons .i.e. a naive struggling newly-born state handing education to religious institutions.

The school system is very different to other countries. Schools can have a religious "ethos" but it means very little nowadays and many children opt out of the single religious education lesson a week. The curriculum is set by the state, funding is from the state, management boards are no longer dominated by religious orders and all teachers are in one of two secular unions.

For the most part, schools are really only Catholic in name only. If the church pushed anti-LGBT propaganda in schools like other countries it would cause uproar. That power has simply gone. The school system is archaic and over due for massive reform. One of the main things blocking it is historical land and building ownership.

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