[eastsider]

The trouble is, if the interviews I've heard on local broadcasts are any indication, many of the men in the pews don't seem worth listening to. "Who cares who the priests sleep with?" I heard one woman say. (That one still leaves me dumbstruck.)

[american colleen]

You hit on a very good point. It's the same here on radio stations and even among most people I know... I'm amazed and saddened at the lack of knowledge that most Catholics have regarding the Catholic faith. And it isn't just the younger generation.

I wish we could direct them to a few of the threads here on FR, it sure helped me learn more about my faith "listening" to some of the posters.

[sinkspur]

"Who cares who the priests sleep with?" I heard one woman say. (That one still leaves me dumbstruck)

Well, as in the political arena, most of these people don't care about ANYTHING, and wouldn't come to a meeting of lay Catholics unless beer was involved.

I went to a couple of IBM stockholder meetings back in the early 90's when the company was losing money, and there were some angry people there who just wanted to have their say.

That's what I think is going on here. If Law had any guts, he'd have a townhall meeting and just let people vent. There'd be fewer people showing up at these VOTF meetings, although I don't think they're a bad thing at all. As with all groups, as time goes on, people lose interest until only the diehards are left, and they can be managed or marginalized.