Mary Johnson, now an atheist, used to be very much a Catholic. No more. As published in the Friendly Atheist, here is how she characterizes the modern Catholic Church:

The Catholic Church has a two-thousand year history of liberation and oppression, education and superstition, inspiration and exclusion. Today, in areas of the world where the rights of women and children and the poor are routinely denied, or where medical and educational facilities are woefully inadequate, the Catholic Church can provide a step up — when it’s not acting as a tool of repression. It’s clear to me that much of the Western world has outgrown the Church, though Church members often remain fiercely attached to a group they consider family. I believe the Catholic Church is becoming less influential, and I think that’s a good thing. The Church hierarchy is becoming increasingly less tolerant of dissent while Catholics in the pews are thinking more for themselves.