"where one might expect to find the most rigid and staid of people" Then, as you suggest, you are unfamiliar with the Church or the state of Catholic clergy. T

"where one might expect to find the most rigid and staid of people" Then, as you suggest, you are unfamiliar with the Church or the state of Catholic clergy. There is variation up and down the hierarchy. The image you have in mind is comical and Hollywoodesque. “You don’t need a hydrology course to learn to swim" Naturally. There is a difference in learning the language and studying the language. The aim of the first is fluency ad facility. The aim of the second is understanding of the language as such. A native English speaker may have a poorer theoretical grasp of the his own language than a non-native speaker, but he can have greater fluency. The two, of course, can mutually reinforce one another and often do.