By Rod Bennett, Catholic Exchange - The Catholic laity often shone brightest just when their bad shepherds were at their worst. God, in other words, had not left Himself without a witness. They not only survived but actually thrived, and their heroism finally turned the tide. And their victories were all the more glorious for having been won in spite of their leaders, rather than with their help. Soon it began to seem more and more likely to me that our crisis today, when it, too, becomes ancient history, will probably have ended in just the same remarkable way.