He maintained that sacraments in the hands of an unworthy priest remain valid, but the usefulness of the priest is undermined by his unseemly behavior. Second, Hus wanted to narrow the gap between priest and people by giving lay people access to the Communion cup. Restoring the laity's right to take the chalice in Holy Communion became the battle cry for the whole Hussite movement. Finally, Hus denounced as blasphemous the claim of priests to forgive sins directly, of their own power, whenever and wherever they wanted. Hus emphasized that it is God and Christ alone who forgive sins.
Priests only declare such forgiveness.
The Czechs generally rejected the idea that the Church is restricted to the pope, cardinals, bishops and clergy. Hus insisted that the Church comprises the common people, the nobles, and the clergy. The clergy, he said, constitute the best part of the Church if they perform their duties rightly, but that means they should relinquish the world and follow Christ most closely. If they are unfaithful to their duties, they become the worst part of the Church, laboring against Christ. Godly words Hus's own ministry centered in his pulpit.