The Catholic Church is a source of moral authority

The Catholic Church is a source of moral authority
Subjects
Authority	Roman Catholic Church
Christianity	Morality
Religion
Linking arguments
Governments should prohibit abortion Governments should restrict adoption to heterosexual couples It is morally acceptable to seek an abortion It is morally acceptable to use contraception It is morally acceptable to engage in oral sex It is morally acceptable to masturbate Liberal Catholicism is harmful The morality of a voluntary abortion depends in part on whether the pregnancy threatens the health of the mother Salvation comes from knowledge of the Christian conception of God Societies should implement capitalism Voluntary abortion is morally equivalent to murder Women should be ordained in Christian churches

Supporting arguments

The Catholic Church remains firmly committed to strict morality, and is therefore a source of moral authority. 

Unlike most other Christian churches, Catholic teachings have been constant and unchanging, which strongly suggests that they adhere to the original teachings of Christ. 

Opposing arguments

Any institution that claims to have absolute and perfect knowledge of what is right and wrong, such as the Catholic Church, must be inherently flawed. 

The Catholic Church showed poor morals in its handling of priest sexual abuse cases, which disqualifies the church from moral leadership. 

The Catholic Church, in the form of Pope Nicholas V, strongly supported slavery and even commanded that it occur.

Martin Luther, as part of the Protestant Reformation, asserted that the Roman Catholic Church did not represent the true nature or concept of Christ. Martin Luther was never allowed to question the authority of the Roman Catholic Church which at the historical time was the dictations of an immoral pope. Ergo, that pope was not only fallible, but revealed an immoral facticity. The present pope is fallible; however, it is possible that he does not possess an immoral facticity.  Related argument: Martin Luther was a source of moral authority.