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I'm not asking for perfection, just fidelity to priestly vows and freedom from mortal sin. I don't think I'm asking too much. Even I as a lay person can manage this. If a priest can't manage this then he has no business being a priest.

On the question of priests being disciplined or removed if they can not live up to their vows, we are in agreement.

But surely you see the chaos that becomes if we need to know the state of grace of every priest who purports to celebrate "sacraments" with us?

On the question of priests being disciplined or removed if they can not live up to their vows, we are in agreement.

But how often does this actually happen? We're pretty much on our own in this respect. There is a priest here in the town I am living in who I absolutely refuse to have anything to do with. He is known around here as 'the keeper of the til'. He cares about money and little else. I had a run in with him in the previous town where we both lived and I have not forgotten. I will not have anything to do with him. There are many others who feel the same way.

Anyone can watch a priest for a while, keep their ears to the ground and get a sense for the person. The Scripture quote "by their fruits shall they be known" is most applicable here. I don't have to run a background check but I can certainly use my eyes, ears and mind.