Marring a sacrament

Criticisms rained on the priest who scolded a teenage mother in front of her guests during the baptism of her baby last Sunday. Netizens and even media commentators who think they have seen and heard the worst of some members of the clergy were shocked to hear Redemptorist priest Fr. Romeo “Jun” Obach utter cruel words to the unwed mother inside the Sacred Heart Chapel in Jagobiao, Mandaue City.

There is no lack of symbolisms in the occasion.

A baptismal is a sacrament but it is also first and foremost a celebration to welcome a new born to the Christian world. The time was another step for the teenage mother’s effort to return to normal life after a suicide attempt when the boyfriend left her.

The dysfunction was set aside and the teenage mother’s family, relatives and friends gathered together for the joyous event in the chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, image of God’s immeasurable mercy and unconditional love.

Father Obach should have been the first one to recognize the themes of forgiveness and hope that underlined the occasion but why he did not and chose to focus only on the girl’s error is inconceivable because priests are supposed to be models of forgiveness and compassion. Father Obach is lucky the girl’s parents and relatives didn’t turn violent despite what happened.

The Redemptorist congregation has suspended the priest from performing the sacraments while an internal investigation is ongoing. He has likewise offered a public apology but whether the family would be placated is another story because I heard lawyers are talking to the aggrieved party.

I sincerely hope this will not turn into a legal problem for the congregation. The public denunciation being heaped on the priest already amounts to punishment. Disgrace to the religious community and humiliation for the Church as an institution will be like a millstone around the neck of Father Obach and that amounts to even more than a severe sentence.

My sympathies go to the girl and her family but Father Obach also deserves a second chance because priests are also human. I pray he will have the strength to face up to the consequences of his actions.

Father Obach will find consolation in Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma who offered his solicited advice during a press conference last Tuesday. Palma did not criticize Father Obach but said something about human frailty when pressed to comment on the misbehavior. The Cebu prelate described the incident as “unfortunate” and referred to the Redemptorist Congregation as a force in moral theology. Palma’s statements amount to moral support for the embattled community.

The response of the Redemptorists was swift, resolute and did not leave any room for prevarication— crisis management that helped diffused the tension. I think it is a way for diocesan priests and other religious congregations to follow especially in the Year of the Laity.

In the past, when errant diocesan priests land in the news for some sexual or financial scandals, the archdiocese would adopt a very structured and veiled process that takes days, months or even years to accomplish. In the meantime, angry and discouraged sentiments arise and I can only speculate how many Catholics stopped going to Mass or left the Church altogether because their gripes, whether valid or not, were not properly addressed.

Social media has made the hierarchical process irrelevant as shown by the case of Father Obach. Electronic technology has empowered the laity and priests who think they are immune from public censure because of their religious vocation better be careful.

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Last Tuesday’s media briefing was called by the Cebu Archdiocese to give updates about the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) slated 18 months or 72 weeks from now.

Representatives of the Pontifical Commission on the IEC, Fr. Vittorio Boccardi and Anne Griffin, were pleased about ongoing physical preparations, notably the construction of the IEC Pavilion and the fund-raising drive conducted in all dioceses and parishes nationwide.

Archbishop Palma said Catholics in Europe and other parts of the world are upbeat about the IEC and have mobilized their communities to raise funds for the event.

The intensity of the preparations especially in Cebu coupled with the cross-border enthusiasm and energy of overseas Filipinos amazed Father Boccardi and Ms Griffin. Still, they emphasized that while logistics are important to insure the success of the IEC, spiritual preparation is even more essential.

The Pontifical Commission is set to issue a document that will spell out the historical and doctrinal basis of the event. This will be the core of the catechetical program that the Church in the Philippines will develop and roll out in October this year, to be disseminated not just throughout the archipelago but the world over.

The IEC is a monumental task and Griffin is right to point out that the global meeting is not just a one-week event but a blessing of a journey that is happening now.