There's no excuse for leaving the Church but I believe every bishop will suffer for driving Catholics away from their home.
"There's no excuse for leaving the Church...."
He didn't leave "The Church", P, just the particular Latin Church. I had thought by now that +BXVI's definition of The Church, the particular churches within The Church and "eccelesial assemblies" would have made it down to the level of the laity.
Becoming Orthodox is not leaving the Church. Last time I checked, Rod Dreher's Church has (using Catholic terminology) Apostolic authority through Apostolic Succession, valid priesthood, valid sacraments, valid Eucharist, Holy Tradition, and everything The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church always had and believed. Sounds like a "valid" Church to me.