Outrage!

I am attempting, while writing this, to remain somewhat calm and clearheaded. A recent article, by a Robert McElvaine, in the Washington Post actually calls for the impeachment of Pope Benedict! Mr. McElvaine is supposedly a Catholic and wrote the article mainly in response to Benedict's statements about the distribution of condoms in Africa making the problem of AIDs even worse (the Pope's statements are producing much criticism and he needs our prayers, check this page for links about his comments). The outrageous thing is that his call for impeachment isn't the worst part of the article - its the other 'crimes' he accuses the Church of committing.

in 2008 that the subject of the ordination of women is not even open for discussion and declaring that anyone involved with the ordination of women will be automatically excommunicated

It's not open for discussion for very good reasons. The following is an excerpt from an excellent article which can be found here.

The question why women can't be ordained priests is often confused with the issue of equality. The Holy Father has made it clear that men and women (as far as their sex is concerned) are equal before God (e.g., Mulieris Dignitatem 6). But equality isn't identity. Men and women have different though complementary functions. Priesthood is a male function, for the reason that a priest is an icon of Christ, and Christ is male.

Also, Pope Benedict's act of mercy in lifting the excommunication on the Society of St. Pius X is twisted into this, the "lifting... [of] the excommunication of Holocaust-denier Richard Williamson." A nice little twisting of the truth.
Or this:

the cardinal sin of the Catholic Church -- a literally deadly sin, if ever there was one -- is its opposition to birth control. Far from being, as the Church contends, part of its moral doctrine, this policy is, plainly, the immoral doctrine of the Church. The use of condoms is a pro-life position.

This man, who claims he is Catholic, unfortunately does not understand at all the moral teaching of the Church. The means do not justify the ends. Contraception is wrong because it violates the unitive and procreative aspects of sexual intercourse. In a day and age when condoms are such a hot topic, for this man (again, a "Catholic") to be ignorant of the Church's teaching is inexcusable.

Why does the Church persist in such a manifestly immoral doctrine? One suspects that it must be the usual twisted thinking about sex and women. The Church's opposition to birth control is largely an outgrowth of its all-male composition and those males' attempts to degrade women's physical powers by asserting that women and the intercourse into which they supposedly tempt men are necessary evils ("It is well for a man not to touch a woman," Paul instructed the Christians of Corinth), the only purpose of which is procreation.

Surely this man can't be serious? In no way is this at all what the Church teaches!! Give me a break...
I want to make it clear that after all that, I do not hate this man. I do not know this man. What I do know is that we are to love our enemies and he is certainly an enemy of the Church that he himself proposes to be a member of. THIS is why we must have a unity of Catholic Identity; because we have journalists and politicians claiming to be Catholic yet denying the Church's teachings and it breeds confusion and misunderstanding among Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Above all we must pray. We must pray for ourselves, for our Church, and for its enemies. And we must educate ourselves so as to educate others. It is our responsibility to be tools of conversion.