"The idea of that "caste" has painted the church into a corner..."  
Jesus was not a clergyman. He was in conflict with the religious authorities of his day. His comments about them could not be described as laudatory. Why would  he want -- or need --  a "clergy" to act for him? 
While it will not happen in our lifetimes, if Catholic Christianity is to continue, it will be in a new iteration without clergy.