Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, and the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops, and your religious act like religious. – Fulton J. Sheen

That quote by Sheen is what leads my column today over at Word on Fire, where I am following up on last week’s piece. As a reminder, that column suggested that the laity are being called to help the Church in a terrible moment.

Today’s piece is not as pleasant a read as last week’s, nor was it as easy to write, because in the midst of dreadful revelation none of us want to believe we have any measure of participation in these sins of the Church.

But, in a way, we do. And that might ultimately be a kind of terrible beauty if it leads us toward becoming a Church more united in our sense of common purpose, practices, and protections, with less distinction held between her people and her “princes”. ….