Trending Story on Social Media
The video below is trending. You can watch it and come back to read my analysis.
Whenever you hear stories like this, the first duty you owe your brain as a rational human being is to question the story thoroughly. I am not saying the story may not have happened, but when you rationally evaluate the merit of the story, you can then decide if the story is worth believing or not. I will give you the following guide.
1. She was reporting what her friend told her. So, the first thing that should register in your head is that the story is not from her. It is what Nigerians call "them-say-them say." In other words, she is not an eyewitness. You can't hold her story on the same level as you would an eyewitness.
2. Even in the them-say-them-say. . . Three important pieces of information that are the pillars of the story were missing
A. The name of the Nigerian man deported. Who is he?
B. The name of the priest. Which Rev Father?
C. The parish where it happened. What is the name of the church and address?
Even if the three were not given, at least one might suffice. But none were given. So, how can you authenticate the story?
3. Based on the points above, your rational brain ought to be drawing a conclusion that the story is possibly a made-up story. Or, even if it is true, the story did not happen the way she narrated it. There could be some missing details just like how she chose not to reveal the identity of the 'three pillars' of the story. Maybe with those missing details, you might see the story differently.
Now, let us look at the story presented.
4. The sacrament of confession is different from a counselling session or a moment of discussion with a priest. You may come to me and discuss some of your personal stuff with me, but that does not make it a sacramental confession. If it is confession, which all Catholics know, the priest is bound by what is called a confessional seal. It means that whatever he hears in confession, is NEVER revealed even if you have a gun pointed at the priest's head. Even if the person who confessed the sins is dead.
So, in the story, I can almost with certainty tell you that even if what she narrated happened, it was never in the context of confession that the priest got to know his immigration status.
5. If you challenge my conclusion on point number 4, then I dare the lady or anyone, to provide the name of the priest and the parish. Once you do that, I will help write a petition to the priest's bishop.
This is because every priest is bound by confessional or sacramental Seal.
According to the church teaching in Canon 983.1,
“…It is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason” (#2490). A priest cannot break the seal to save his own life, to protect his good name, to refute a false accusation, to save the life of another, to aid the course of justice (like reporting a crime), or to avert a public calamity. He cannot be compelled by law to disclose a person’s confession or be bound by any oath he takes, e.g. as a witness in a court trial. A priest cannot reveal the contents of a confession either directly, by repeating the substance of what has been said, or indirectly, by some sign, suggestion, or action.
Therefore, from the time a person makes the sign of the cross and begins “Bless me Father for I have sinned” to the last words of absolution, the information exchanged between the priest and the penitent is protected by the sacramental seal. Even if a confession is made in a less formal atmosphere or in a less formal way, if a priest imparts absolution, what he absolves is under the sacramental seal never to be revealed by him.
Now, following The Catechism of the Catholic church (#1467) and the Code of Canon Law (#1388.1) “A confessor who directly violates the seal of confession incurs an automatic excommunication."
The punishment is clear. You are suspended and excommunicated. So you see, what that lady is narrating is not a small or laughable story. It is not something you do just for content creation.
If it is investigated and discovered that the priest revealed what was told to him in confession, the priest loses his clerical state...he is automatically excommunicated. And if it is discovered that it is a made-up story, the lady faces sanctions for lying and deceiving people.
If you provide me with the details, I will follow the story up and make sure the Nigerian brother gets justice. The priest will be suspended and excommunicated automatically.
And if it is a made-up story, that lady will be arrested for deceiving people with lies.
In all these, it is the shower cap of the lady I found very funny because it made her head look like a frying pan.
#PurestPurity
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