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I'm going to attempt to answer a lot of the issues you have with me as best I can in one message. First off, I'm actually a Catholic Theologian - and ORTHODOX Catholic Theologian. That IS a role within the Church. It is also one role among many that I have in the greater Church, not just my parish (World Youth Day Leader, Youth Minister, teacher, etc)
Secondly, this dicussion can be linked back to Pope Benedict XVI because he has been 'fighting' against moral relativism for YEARS and will continue to do so. This discussion is moral relativism at its finest. (For those that are not aware of what moral relativism is, it is deciding what is right and what is wrong based on how you feel rather than based in solid truth; that morals are personal and can change from one person to another depending on their individual circumstance, etc). The Ten Commandments are not suggestions - they are COMMANDMENTS. A sin is a sin is a sin, no matter what color you try and paint it - and standing by and watching something happen and not doing anything IS a sin of omission.
There is a great difference between catholic and Catholic. The term catholic in the Nicene Creed is actually the little 'c' catholic (meaning universal) so no, not every Christian is a Catholic - but every Catholic had better be Christian.
Vatican II did not change ANYTHING! This is one of hte greatest misconceptions about the Council. What happened was the Church (not the faith) was more clearly defined. I might also add that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI were very instrumental in many of the documents written at the Second Vatican Council.
The celibacy of priests, women in the priesthood, etc those are issues that WILL NOT CHANGE. The closest to the Roman Catholic Church are the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Yes, they do allow men who are married to be priests - but you cannot marry AFTER you are a priest. You also cannot be a Bishop if you are married. You also really cannot compare the RCC and the Protestant denominations on these issues because there are too many differences between them to even know where to begin. This 'push' for women to be priests is a VERY recent thing brought about by post-Vatican II disgruntled sisters/nuns (there is a difference between a sister and a nun by the way) and this ultra-feminist nonsense.
Actually Catholics are still supposed to fast on Fridays - and if you do not, you are supposed to make some sacrifice in its place.
There are actually very few Dogmas within the Catholic Church (I want to say only three or four). You also have a distinction between Tradition and tradition. Tradition (Big "T") will not change. Those are things passed down from the Apostles. This includes priestly celibacy, baptism of infants, etc.
To not agree with the teaching of the Catholic Church is technically to be a Protestant, not a Catholic. Once again, you either believe in the Catholic Church and all she teaches or you don't. There is no gray area. There is no picking and choosing what you want to believe at any time that suits you (once again, moral relativism). You cannot call yourself a Catholic and blatantly go against Her teachings. Those teachings are based on the Word of God through His Son, Jesus.
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