The Church needs to be accountable. For one, and most significantly, we are accountable to God. As the Bible tells us, one day we shall stand before Him in judgment. On that day, no excuses, no rationalizing, no denying, no hiding, will do us a bit of good. We will answer to God and, literally, “there will be hell to pay.”
Then, we are accountable to ourselves. As people of integrity, we hold ourselves to the high standards coming from morality, a properly formed conscience, and the expectations of Jesus and His Church. Sometimes we say things like, “I just couldn’t live with myself if I did that.” That’s a good indication that we are people of character. And, often do we examine our consciences to hold ourselves responsible, apologizing to God or another when we have let them down.