text: Dennis, 
  
  There have been people throughout church history that have done a wonderful job of teaching us                         to find a good balance between the personal conscience, the community responsibility, etc.  Part of the problem in the church today is that the laity, the local community has precious little power in the church, so even if folks WANTED to jump in there, there's so little they can do, save for whatever the bishops want them to do.  How many parish closings and mergings have happened over the objections of that local community?  How many women who are ready and willing to serve, are allowed?  How responsive have the bishops (and Francis) been to the massive calls from the laity for episcopal accountability w/r/t the scandal? 
  
  I agree about the personal conscience and accountability.  But I think in a way, as that rises under Francis,  it stands as a reminder of just how "one sided" the church really is these days.