Dying Cardinal Calls Church ‘200 Years Out Of Touch’

Papal candidate Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the former archbishop of Milan, said during his final interview before passing away that the church is “200 years out of date.”

Before his death, the 85-year-old, who was a prominent voice in the church and a favored successor to Pope John Paul II, gave a scathing review of the church and its failed politics.

During his published interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the Cardinal proclaimed:

“Our culture has aged, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our rituals and our cassocks are pompous.”

He further laments:

“The Church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops. The pedophilia scandals oblige us to take a journey of transformation.”

Martini, before his death, began to pull away from the churches views, suggesting that condoms were acceptable under certain circumstances. The Vatican favorite also suggested that the church needs to open up to new types of families. According to Martini:

“A woman is abandoned by her husband and finds a new companion to look after her and her children. A second love succeeds. If this family is discriminated against, not just the mother will be cut off but also her children.”

Martini was being seriously considered for the job of pope until he revealed his rare form of Parkinson’s disease and then retired from the church in 2002.

In his final urging for the church, Martini said:

“The church is 200 years out of date. Why don’t we rouse ourselves? Are we afraid?”

Do you think Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini was correct in suggesting that the catholic church needs to undergo a rigorous and immediate change in direction?