I don't doubt the difficulty of change. Nor do I hold much hope, to be honest. When evil homophobic bigots like Francis can leverage power and propaganda to appear sympathetic and "progressive" in world press, it's clear the mountain is steep.

Can the German church help force real change? That remains to be seen. But schism is another outcome here, and not a terrible one at all from my perspective as a former Catholic and member of a huge Irish Catholic clan in the US.

If the Church refuses to move toward greater morality and greater love, then the next best thing is to see the Church further impoverished and weakened.

The faithful in Germany and the US are fleeing the pews in huge numbers, led by young people who will simply not tolerate sexism and homophobia. It's not even a matter of discussion for them. They either leave organized religion or choose a different church.

I'd love to see the Church change. But if it refuses to, then its infrastructures of power and oppression must be destroyed. What better way than to see the whole edifice collapse in on itself like it has in places like Ireland and Quebec?