But you have to admit they have proved to be a very well-run corporation.

And I've fallen for their propaganda as well. I've always thought of the Catholic clergy as intellectuals and logician/scholars who spoke ancient tongues and were steeped in the ancient mysteries of their religion. Sort of the Jesuit warrior-of-Christ stereotype. But every priest I've ever met has turned out to be quite an ordinary individual.

The one thing that did catch me by surprise is the high level of sexual perversion among the priesthood. I realize it's still a very small percentage of the total, but it is not a fluke, not a local issue, the church has known about it and done nothing, i.e., it is a systemic problem and it is clear it is built in to the system, not just an aberration.