There’s an increasingly open critical appreciation of the role, status and actions of “The Church” within Western society at least.  The latest story I’ve read:

THE Vatican should be treated as a kind of ”rogue state” by the rest of the world until it stops using statehood – and the ancient rules of the canon law – to protect paedophile priests, according to veteran human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, QC.

Mr Robertson, a UN judge, argues that the Catholic Church is the only religion permitted under international law to claim the privileges of statehood and its leaders immunity from civil or criminal action.

I couldn’t agree more.