The church is always the people of God

In most jobs employees experience the reality of checks and balances. People's performance is noted and if someone falls below an accpetable standard, mechanisms are in place to help the person.

If people refuse to live up to what is expected of them they can and might lose their job.

That's a recognised matter-of-fact reality in the world of work and industry.

It might be argued that there are some jobs where people can manage to fly below the radar and get away with poor work.
Who checks the performance of priests in their parishes? Is there ever any sort of factual appraisal of what priests do and don't do in parishes?

When people eventually grow alienated from their priest and walk away, they may then find the courage to challenge him. A pity that challenge does not happen earlier. Why don't more people, still engaged with church, criticise and chappenge the priest?

Of course there are hardworking priests just as there are hardworking teachers, journalists, fitters, plumbers, doctors et al.

But it seems in priesthood a parish priest is 'king' in his parish and can do as he wishes.

This absence of having to answer to someone or some body is a real issue in the Catholic Church. It is something that has seldom if ever been properly addressed.

Indeed, it might well be due to a lack of any sort of permanent monitoring that the church has found itself in the place it is today.

Signing books in sacristies is a poor response to all that has happened in recent years. Signing books is no solution.

So often what people know about their church is through their parish priest.

Blaming secularisation, blaming the 'modern world' surely is lazy thinking.

Parishioners have an obligation to challenge when it is glaringly clear that what is being said and done is nonsense.

The church is the people of God.