Reply #28: The article argues against its own premise.

[gcomeau]

How do some of us stay in the Church? In grief, in sadness, with a resolve not to be shut out by those who say they are speaking in the name of the Father. We just don't believe them. The Church is not an institution; it is the people

As I said in the comments there, if the church is really "the people" and not the Pope and the bishops and the buildings, then the people can damn well leave the Pope and the Bishops and the buildings behind and worship how they see fit somewhere else and they will still be "the church".

There is zero need for the people to continue associating themselves with the Vatican hierarchy to "reclaim" the church if the people ARE the church. if you accept the assertion that the church is the people, the rest of the article's argument for why to stay in the Catholic organization is bullshit.