When the Priesthood is Purged

"When the Lord chastises a people, the chastisement begins with the priest, for he is the cause of the sins of the people, either by his bad example, or by his negligence in attending to their sanctification.  Hence the Lord says, The time is that judgment should begin at the house of God.  In the slaughter described by Ezechiel, God wished the priests to be the first victims of his vengeance: Begin ye at my sanctuary.  That is, says Origen, 'with the priests.'  A most severe judgment, says the Wise Man, for them that bear rule.  And unto whom, says Jesus Christ, much is given, of much shall be required."

-Dignity and Duties of the Priest, by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, first published in 1760, pp. 83-84.