Well, in case you guys didn’t read the same bible I did, and didn’t read the same history books I did, saying that religion is out of politics is just a non-sence. First, even if you are american, just read my lips “God bless America and no one else”… does this sound political enough? Also, the bible is so politically correct, that most of it was adapted to be able to adopted by the Roman Empire (and anyone who tells me that there is a chance that in a Roman city jews control the market, is completelly crazy or are reading the wrong books).
And, paraphrazing my boss, “The two oldest companies in the world are the Church and the Mafia, and they are both Italians”.
More than being political, the church is pure and simple biz. The fact that priests cannot get married is to avoid the depiction of the capital they hold (no marriage means no kids, which means no heritage). Also, and if you have read the book correctly, Church invented the paper money (aka indulgences) because they didn’t have enough money for their “wellfare” (in parts of Europe this was true, because hospitals and wellfare where all supported by the Church (like the S. Bernardins in the Alps)).
Other than that, a visit to any church in Europe (specially in the southern Europe where the Catholics where proiminent) and you will see where the money is.
Although many people consider the Catholic Church the responsible for many attrocities, they are also responsible for many advances in technology and maths, for the institution of universities and many other things.
But the most basic problem of China is the fact that the government only allows catholic in aproved churches (and if you say that the CCP is above god). That is completelly against the beliefs of the Catholic Church itself. It is like someone changing the Holy creed to:
“Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name of Mao.
Thy government come.
Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven.”
Would you consider this correct? Another thing is that the Catholic Church was allways a refugee for the abused and the poor, and many of their priests died fighting for them. In China, however, you have to be “patriotic” above anything else, so helping those who are abused is completelly out of question.
And let us not forget another big and extremelly “political” association that is banned in the PRC - The Boy Scouts Association.