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Catholicism isnt like protestantism; you can't just choose another denomination. To a devout catholic, it is the one true Church. Not only is it the one true church; but it is the only route to God. Unlike in protestantism, in which, for the most part, the believer has a personal relationship with God, a catholic needs priestly intercession.
If they turn their back on their church, then they effectively turn their back on God. Without a priest to minister to them, they are denied the sacrament, absolution, and the last rites. Without these things, they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
No matter what the individual, frail human beings involved in the church might do, the Church is still God's house and a priest is still necesary for their immortal souls.
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