Priest berates unwed mother at baby’s baptism: “The baby was born due to sin”—UPDATED

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm by Deacon Greg Kandra

Priest berates unwed mother at baby’s baptism: “The baby was born due to sin”—UPDATED 2016-09-30T15:53:25-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here’s something else to throw on the agenda for the upcoming Synod: children born outside of wedlock. I’d argue it’s not just the couples involved that need counseling; judging from this, so do some clergy.

The working document on the Synod notes about teenage mothers:

Above all, they are to be esteemed for the love and courage with which they welcomed the life conceived in their womb and now provide for the upbringing and education of their children. They deserve from society a special support which takes into account the many sacrifices they are facing. The Christian community is also called to provides a care which permits these mothers to see the Church as truly a family of God’s children.

And yet, we hear news like this, from the Philippines:

A young unwed mother decried the “sermon” given to her by the priest that officiated the baptimisal rites of her infant son in front of her family and friends in a chapel in Mandaue City.

“Makauulaw na magpabunyag ka og walay bana. Nakig dug ka og laki nga dili nimo bana. Wala ma mauwaw (It’s humiliating to have a baptism without a husband. You slept with a man that is not your husband? Aren’t you ashamed)?” Fr. Romeo Ubach of the Sacred Heart Chaplaincy in Eversely Child Sanitarium asked the 17-year-old woman who carried her months-old baby.

“Kining bata walay sala pero ang mama nga nakigdug og lalaki nga wala pay kasal maoy nagpuyo sa sala. Mapasa unya ni sa bata ang disgrasya. Dili unta nga nag happy happy unya naay bata. Oo, grasya ni pero nabuhat ni siya sa sala (This child has no sin but her mother who slept with a man without being married to him lives in sin. She may pass on the consequences of her sin to her child. There shouldn’t have been indulging in their passion then bore a child. Yes, a child is a gift from God but the baby was borne due to sin),” the priest said.

After giving his “sermon” Fr. Ubach asked the mother if she was married to her baby’s father.

Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu described the actuations of Fr. Obach as “against the rule of courtesy and charity.”

“Any child, whether legitimate or not, has the right to be baptized. In the same manner, priests have the obligation to baptize anyone because baptism is the only means to remove original sin. Maayo gani gidala ang bata para bunyagan. (Good that the mother brought her child to be baptized),” Binghay, a canon lawyer, said.

The child’s grandmother took a video of the priest’s sermon and uploaded it to her Facebook account yesterday. The video has been shared more than 9,000 times as of Monday afternoon. The young mother told Cebu Daily News they don’t know where to go yet.

Read more and watch the video here.

And be sure to read Calah Alexander’s account of her child’s baptism, which was a pretty awful experience.

She concludes:

Because here’s the real issue: baptism isn’t about the parents. And while I understand the necessity of discretion to avoid scandal, it’s not about anyone else, either. It’s about the eternal salvation of a human child. The Catechism is absolutely vehement that “Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament”. If we really believed that, we’d be petitioning bishops, archbishops, and the Pope himself to allow the baptism of infants to proceed unhindered. If we really believed that, we’d be knocking down our priest’s door in the middle of the night if someone told us they couldn’t find anyone who would baptize their baby. This is the eternal soul of a child created by God Himself, and His Son specifically commanded baptism. He also explicitly told us not to hinder the little children from coming to Him. What is baptism if not the child’s first encounter with Christ? Who are we, any of us, to stand in the way of that?

What grace may work thought the sacrament of baptism is, like all sacraments, a mystery to us. Even sinners who wear their sin like a badge of honor are still coming to the Church and asking for something that only Christ’s Church can give. In baptizing a child of sinners, we ought not fear that we are opening the floodgates of moral relativism or normalizing the celebration of hedonism. We need only be assured that we are doing what God, and the parents of the child, have asked — giving the child mercy, grace, hope, and a way to Christ.

UPDATE: The priest is now facing backlash from his superiors and could be disciplined. Read more.

Sacraments

Synod

Previous Post

July 7, 2014

Celebrating Mass at Celebration

Next Post

July 8, 2014 Baton Rouge Diocese condemns ruling that could compel a priest to testify about confession

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Mad Men" 9/11 advent All Things New Amazing video amazing videos amazon america Anglicans Anti-Catholicism art ascension thursday ash wednesday Atheists baltimore Bible Bishops Blogging bonnie engstrom Books bridgeport Brooklyn Chaplains children christian art christmas Church Churches CNEWA Converts criticism Deacons Death Penalty easter eastern christian Eastern Christians Ecumenism education Education Eucharist Europe euthanasia Evangelization Exorcism Family Feasts Gay rights Good Friday Great links Great Moments in Journalism Hanging with the saints heather renshaw Hispanic Catholics Hispanics History homelies Homilies Humor Hymn of the Week Immigration indianapolis Inspiration Interfaith news ireland Jesus Jews Journalism Judaism lent Liturgy logos Marriage Mary Media Medical news Mental health Middle East Monks Movies Music Muslims My world and welcome to it New Evangelization new york News Nuns Parenting Parish life peoria Persecution Politics politics Pope pope francis pope john paul Prayer Preaching Priests Pro-life Quote of the day radio rebecca frech ripp Ripped from the headlines rippred from the headlines Sacraments saints Scripture sex abuse Sex abuse crisis SEX ABUSE CRISIS TAGGED WITH: SEX ABUSE CRISIS The people in the pews the visitation project theatre This & that Thomas Merton Trappists TV Uncategorized uncategorized Vatican VATICAN vocation Vocations Voices & Views Women Worth a thousand words Writing Year of Faith year of mercy young people

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the correct order for putting off the old self and putting on the new self as described in Colossians?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Put on the new self, put to death earthly nature, clothe yourself with compassion, rid yourself of anger Rid yourself of anger, take off the old self, put to death earthly nature, put on the new self Put to death earthly nature, rid yourself of anger/rage/malice, take off the old self, put on the new self, clothe yourself with compassion Clothe yourself with compassion, put on the new self, put to death earthly nature, rid yourself of anger

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »