"Lack of compassion"

A friend of mine just got one of those emails. I suppose clergy all get them at one time or another. I'll admit that it gets under my skin in a way that one sent to me would not. It's harder to see it happen to friends. But this one is a pip.

The email accused the priest of "a lack of compassion," because said priest had the temerity to express disappointment with the vestry's recent decisions-- actions that mean the end of the parish being able to support any full-time clergy person. Did I mention the vestry also lay the blame for their decision at their priest's feet? Of course, they are not responsible for choosing as they have done; it's all the fault of the cleric. They have every right to be angry, it seems-- angry enough to ignore years of faithful, committed service and to disregard any notion of civility, let alone Christian charity.

So, let me get this straight: clergy are supposed to offer the sacraments of the church, plan and lead worship, provide for ongoing Christian education, visit the sick and shut in, take midnight phone calls, bury the dead, and otherwise provide for all the spiritual needs of the parish at any hour of the day or night...
...AND assemble and print the bulletins, shovel the walks, water the lawn, wield the weedeater, sweep up dead flies, run the vacuum, wash dishes and clean bathrooms...
...AND hold their parishioners' hands and tell them everything will be all right, that their precious pile of stone and mortar is the most important thing in the world, and the survival of the church as a thriving part of the Body of Christ is a secondary concern at best...
...AND put up with petty sniping, take all the blame for anything that goes wrong, and accept in silence any rudeness and cheap shots toward oneself or one's family...
...all for compensation (when and if paid on time) only slightly higher (considering hours worked) than one could make slinging burgers at a fast food joint.

Because anything less would indicate a lack of compassion.