HI guys
Bizarre but true - the head of the Vatican department that deals with the forgiveness of sins has announced in the Vatican's official newspaper that there are now seven new mortal sins that this time offer a social perspective.
They are: drug abuse, genetic manipulation, morally dubious experimentation, environmental pollution, social inequalities and social injustice, causing poverty and accumulating excessive wealth at the expense of the common good of society.
Given that the Catholic church itself has played a major role in creating and maintaining inequality and injustice and has feathered its own nest at the expense of its flock this would seem to be ironic. I guess the Church hierarchy will "forgive" each other and go right on sinning... 
much in the same way they have identified child abuse as a mortal sin whilst protecting the perpetrators at the expense of the innocent.
This move has been introduced in response to a decline in the faithful attending confessions, in part because the priests have been, basically, rubbish at hearing confession which is why these new sins were announced at the close of a priestly confessional refresher course. 
Havng been bought up in a non-religious household, i still find this stuff all really bizarre 
and would welcome comments from fellow posters esp. lapsed catholics.. 
including what any family members who are still Catholic think of this.. i mean looking at social causes rather than hammering individuals is a good thing.. but that isn't the Church's reasoning of course - this is a marketing move!!
Love
LW XX
