You shall treat the priest as holy, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.
The priest isn't holy because of personal virtue - it's a role. The sanctification comes from the function, from being set apart for sacred work. Your respect is given to the office.
This helped me distinguish between respecting a pastoral role and needing the person in that role to be flawless. A priest deserves respect for the work he carries, even if he's struggling personally. That distinction protected me from both idolizing leaders and dismissing them.
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