Hi Eoin

As a general rule of thumb, Freedom should not be regarded as an end in itself, because if this principle that freedom should be an end in itself were to be logically applied, everyone would be entitled to his or her own actions, and the laws governing our societies would not need to exist.

I understand your perspective, and while there have been unfortunate misdeeds by members of the church in your country and elsewhere (which cannot be condoned, there is a real difference between the Catholic Church as an institution and errant members of the Catholic Church. To draw a rough analogy, should a lawyer commit perjury in court, it does not mean that the system of law as a whole is should be discounted.

Also, an interesting point that you might consider is to have a look at varied sources (in English and other languages, especially in other languages if you can read them) at the numerous persecutions the Catholic Church faced throughout the centuries.

A good example of one book written by a historian would be "A History of The Protestant Reformation In England And Ireland" by William Cobbett.

Thank you for your sharing.

Stay well,

Angeline JMJ