Bloody Shadow does raise a good point, though? How are the Elites like the Catholic Church? I assume that he's referring to the Covenant belief, but in no way is the Catholic Church, or any Christian organization for that matter, bent on a mass suicide they believe to be transcendence into the divine. If anything, they (the Prophets and those who follow) are more like a Comet Cult. You know, the ones who commit suicide with spiked fruit punch when a comet passes over? That seems like a more accurate comparison to me.
But as far as Elites go, and this will sound weird, they remind me of Spartans. Have you ever seen an Elite run? Give up? Die cowering in a dark corner? No! They meet death face-on! They die for glory, for honor, and they die well. When one is stuck with a plasma grenade, instead of running wildly from his inevitable death, he embraces the fact, and often takes his assailant with him! This comparison, to me, makes them seem worthy allies for the Spartans. Some Elites (as stated in the Halo novels) actually believe Spartan-117 to be an Elite, rather than a human, because of his fighting skill. That, to me, seems like respect.
