one thing non-Catholics need to understand about the subset of 'traditionalist' Catholics who never accepted (or are suspicious of) the changes brought about the Second Vatican Council is that one of the things they were most upset about is that the church told them they had to give up hating Jews
The first sentence is also just so very wrong. From Constantine forward, there was a *very* long time where it was the culture and the government. We had a whole Reformation because of it. It was Luther's whole thing.
They were also angry about being told they can't burn witches, they hated being told to acknowledge non-whites can be Catholics, and they hated being told that gays aren't doomed to hell for existing, and they hated being told that all good people can go to heaven. Evangelism is a hell of a drug.
Every religion has a foundational belief which can never be shaken, not even by their own authorities.
I speak, of course, of the Christian belief that their entire church is still a countercultural band of a few dozen oppressed victims.
My religious credentials are pretty out of date, but didn't Pontius Pilate and the Roman court system kill Jesus?
And don't Christians believe that he willingly sacrificed himself to atone for their sins, which couldn't have happened if he hadn't died? Are they mad about that?
So many trad Caths were raised in Protestant/evangelical/fundamental traditions and are p.o’d that it turns out the average Catholic is or was a lot more laid back about the “rules.” They wanted all the incense and rituals along with SBC doctrine.