Breaking up with Catholic leaders

Here's our latest at the Washington Post:

The most significant breakup in my life was with the Catholic Church. There wasn't a defining moment, nothing dramatic or final, just a slow separation. But like most breakups, I was torn. We had shared some good times, had good memories.

I'll never forget the morning of my First Communion, for instance, sitting at the foot of my parent's bed and lifting a flat-faced gold ring from a black jewelry box. My mother and father didn't have a lot of money, but they wanted to give me a "grown-up" gift. I slid the ring on my right index finger, put on my grey suit, and then went to my Communion prepared to be a man.

As I aged into my teens, however, my excitement and pride about being Catholic faded. I realized the people who stood with me in church, praying, smiling, and praising God, were the same people who mocked, criticized, and belittled each other during the days between Mass. I began to feel suffocated by the hypocrisy.

For the full article click here, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts . . .