Thomas, let me stand up for my mom. She's a decent, and principled person with a high sense of what is right and wrong.
Just for the sake of comparison, let me say that she is an "Eucharist minister", that is to say, the person who gives the host at mass, and she's not an ordained minister, as we know. A few hypocritical ladies objected to her being in that position because she's a divorced woman. The priests themselves never said a word against her, and she's there because the priests supported her being there. Can you imagine a similar thing in JW world? A divorced woman having responsibilities in the church?
I agree that there is much to criticize in the Catholic Church, but, although quite unwillingly, it has had to sort of move on and adapt to the new times. Shunning, the JW's style, is no longer a practice. Many hateful practices are history, too. Others are not, and I would be the first to recognize that. But, as in any other church, JW's included, many decent and principled persons with a sense of right and wrong are Catholics. Will you take this bet: I say that at least a few of 700 million Catholics are decent, principled persons with a sense of right and wrong. Will you take the bet? I have to stand for the Catholics, and not for the doctrine or because I was one, but because I know for a fact that many are good people. I'm afraid that believing that they all are bad is too reminiscent of "Us" vs. "Them". Too much old indoctrination. One of the great things I have learned in this site is to overcome the sense that JW's are Sunday morning killjoys. I think you would benefit if you learned this about Catholics, too.
You hear a lot about pedophile priests and the like. You never hear about the good ol' priests who feed hungry children and run hospitals, for example. Just as I have run into despicable priests and nuns, I have met quite a few who lead decent and very Christian lives. I have lost my love for the Catholic Church, but not the respect for the good people that I know for a fact are still there. I won't mention names because that would give a clue as to who I am. Oh, by the way, in the despicable Catholic Church, you don't have to be concerned about people knowing what you post in a web forum.