I think you have backwards. The priesthood became entirely too revered and thus a status symbol. Within that framework, there were people who could go into the

I think you have backwards. The priesthood became entirely too revered and thus a status symbol. Within that framework, there were people who could go into the priesthood as a means of papering over their glaring faults and achieving a respectable image. Along the way, enough of those people have promoted into positions of power from which they try to shelter the priesthood at the expense of the church. The Jesuits are mostly this same phenomenon; the order's brand became too coveted, the value was mined out of it, and now it's used by too many as a shield. It's like private equity for holy orders.