A question for any Catholic forum members

[Monte Carlo]

^ One of the things I've got to consider is societal changes in the Church, given as the piece is set in the late 2100's. Will the priesthood have been released from a vow of chastity? Will the divisions around socially liberal issues evolve and which direction? Where are the lines in the sand? How will ecclesiastical jurisprudence cope, and it what way? Will there be a split in Catholicism of the sort we've already seen in the Anglican church? Let's not get started on gene therapy and technological advances.

 

Small details in the overall wend and weft of my book, but they need to be considered. Am a big believer in consistent world-building. Readers who don't notice it still benefit from internal consistency and readers who do tend to really, really appreciate it and reward you with good reviews

Edited October 19, 2014 by Monte Carlo

[JadedWolf]

I'm not religious at all, but my mother's side of the family is mostly catholic, and as such I've had to attend some funerals. My grandfather and my grandmother's funeral were done by a priest who'd been the priest of the church they went to for years. He knew them intimately and managed to really hit a chord during his speeches about them. I somehow felt included in the whole affair, even though it was in a church and there were hymns and the whole lot, I never felt like I wasn't really part of the process. According to my mum the priest in question always was known as a bit of a free thinker and a liberal. And this wasn't a member of a newer younger and more liberal generation, the guy actually was retired when he did my grandmother's funeral.

 

Now, the priest who did my uncle's funeral just a few years ago wasn't like that at all. He seemed less interested in telling about the life of my uncle than he was keen to make use of the fact that there were so many people in his church for a change. He kept going on and on about unbelieving Thomas and the promise of the afterlife for those who believe in Jesus Christ, so much so that I felt he was using the moment to berate those who weren't Christian. The whole affair never felt much like a funeral at all rather than missionary work among the heathens. And this was a younger priest of the new generation.