Secularists might be surprised to learn that the Church is the largest single supplier of health care and education on the planet, the principal glue of civil society in Africa, the strongest bulwark of opposition to the caste system in India, and a leading player in global campaigns for sustainable living. It provides almost the only charitable presence in Chechnya, and other blackspots often forgotten by the rest of the world.<\/p>\n
–Rupert Shortt, “There are now almost as many Roman Catholics as citizens of China \u201d\u201c why?” in the Times Literary Supplement, April 8, 2009<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Secularists might be surprised to learn that the Church is the largest single supplier of health care and education on the planet, the principal glue of civil society in Africa, the strongest bulwark of opposition to the caste system in…<\/span><\/p>\n