Priest scolds unwed teen mother; draws online rage

**Monseratto** · July 8th, 2014 01:23 PM

Priest scolds unwed teen mother; draws online rage
By Marian Z. Codilla, Norman V. Mendoza
8:27 am | Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

A video showing a Catholic priest berating a 17-year-old unwed mother at her child’s baptismal ceremony in a chapel in Mandaue City, Cebu went viral after it was posted on Sunday on Facebook.

“Makauulaw.Magpabunyag ka og walay bana. Nakig dug ka og laki nga dili nimo bana. Wala ma mauwaw Naka dungog ba na nako, dai? Wala ka mauwaw? (How shameful. You come here to have your child baptized without a husband. You slept with a man who is not your husband. Do you hear me, girl? Aren’t you ashamed?)” said the priest, identified as Fr. Romeo Obach of the Redemptorist congregation, in the video clip.

The girl, a college student, softly replied “Mauwaw” (I’m ashamed).

The video was taken by her sister and then posted by the baby’s grandmother Jieve in her Facebook account to express personal rage.

“If I had known that my daughter would suffer such humiliation, I would not have let her push through with having her son baptized,” said Jieve in her Facebook post.

The Redemptorist community in Cebu is expected to issue a statement on the controversy today.

Reached for comment last night, Fr. Alfonso Suico Jr., who was designated spokesman for the purpose, said he still has to investigate the matter and speak with the parties as he was still in Mindanao and due to arrive today.

“We will be addressing the matter accordingly at the appropriate time and place. I am still in Cagayan de Oro and will be in Cebu (today). I’m not at liberty to make a statement now. We will be announcing our official statement,” Suico told Cebu Daily News.
Fr. Obach was not in the chapel when reporters went there to get his side. Caretakers of the chapel said Obach only drops by and lives in a seminary elsewhere.

APOLOGY

When Cebu Daily News visited the girl’s family at home, the baby’s 37-year-old grandmother, who is a barangay tanod in Mandaue, said they plan to see the Women’s Desk of the Basak Police Station to file a complaint.

“We want him (Fr. Obach) to apologize on the Internet where there are one million ‘likes’”, said Jieve.

She tearfully recounted the baptism attended by family and visitors, about 50 in all, who came for the 10 a.m. event at the Sacred Heart Chaplainicy in barangay Jabogiao, Mandaue.

“Mosabot ra man mi kung makasab-an sa pari pero gibastos ug gipaka-uwawan man mi niya atubangan sa daghang mga tawo. Kahilakon kaayo ko nga naminaw,” she said.

(We would have understood being scolded by the priest but he was humiliating us in front of people. I really wanted to cry just listening to him.)

She said she wanted to object immediately but was restrained by her husband so that the ceremony would be finished.
Jieve said the video clip she uploaded on Facebook was just half of what the priest said that was so hurtful.

“If only he knew what my daughter went through, he wouldn’t have dared say that,” she said.

The grandmother said the baby’s mother had an emotional breakdown after her boyfriend left her upon finding out she was pregnant. The teenage mother is still under professional counselling.

The baptism itself and wide publicity propelled by the Internet will be another source of trauma.

As of 11:35 p.m. Last night, the video has been shared by over 22,000 users and drew 4,000 “likes” and elicited 233 scathing comments against the priest.

NO CHARITY

Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu, yesterday described the action of the priest at the baptism as one “against the rule of courtesy and charity.”

“Any child, whether legitimate or not, has the right to 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. (It’s good that the mother brought her child to be baptized),” Binghay said in a phone interview.

He said Fr. Obach may have a good intention in calling the attention of the baby’s mother.

“The intention was good but the manner he carried out the reminder was out of order. Mora og nangasaba og ultimo. (It’s as if he was scolding a servant),” he said.

Binghay said the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer or commonly known as the Redemptorists has jursidiction over Fr. Obach as a religious community.

“Their superior should take a look at what happened. But the congregation may refer the matter to the bishop,” he said.
In admonishing sinners, Binghay reminded all priests to follow Jesus teaching on “fraternal correction”.

“As Jesus said, if your brother or sister sins, correct him or her privately, in a manner that only both of you know. But the contrary happened in the case of Fr. Obach,” he said.

Nevertheless, Binghay asked the public not to lose trust in priests and the Church in general.

“You have a lot of good priests who are doing their best to live virtuous lives. The sin of one is not the sin of all,” he said./With Ador Vincent Mayol

- See more at: Priest scolds unwed teen mother; draws online rage | Cebu Daily News

**Monseratto** · July 8th, 2014 01:36 PM

At least this guy already accepts the trend...

Pope Francis baptises baby of an unmarried couple in the Sistine Chapel during Baptism Of The Lord mass at the Vatican
By CHRIS PLEASANCE
PUBLISHED: 16:49 GMT, 12 January 2014 | UPDATED: 17:13 GMT, 12 January 2014

Pope Francis today baptised the child of an unmarried couple during a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel, in Rome.
The unnamed parents and their child took part in the traditional Baptism Of The Lord mass with 31 others, commemorating the day St John baptised Jesus.

The Pope has previously spoken out to encourage priests to baptise the children of unmarried women in order to pass on the Christian faith, calling those who refuse 'hypocrites'.
e
According to the Vatican Network, he said: 'You parents have the baby boy or girl to be baptised, but in a few years it will be they who will have a baby to be baptised, or a grandchild... And so goes the chain of faith.

'What does this mean? I would just tell you this: you are the ones that transmit the faith, the transmitters, you have a duty to pass on the faith to these children. It 's the most beautiful legacy that you leave to them: the faith.'

Speaking in the relaxed manner that has become his trademark, Francis broke with the tradition of delivering a long and formal speech, instead reading a short script he had written himself.

The mass took place under the famous fresco painted by Michelangelo, the same room in which Francis was elected on March 13 as the first non-European pope in 1,600 years.

In September the pontiff telephoned an Italian woman to tell her he would personally baptise her child after she became pregnant by a man who was already married.

Shop worker Anna Romano, 35, was on holiday when she received the call from the Argentinian Pope.

Pope Francis has previously spoken out to criticise priests who refuse to baptise the babies of unmarried women, calling them 'hypocrites' and emphasising the duty parents have to pass on faith to their children

At the time she said: 'I addressed the letter simply to Pope Francis, the Vatican and put it in the post. I didn't even send it recorded delivery. I didn't really expect to get a reply but then out of the blue when I was on holiday I had a phone call from him.

'The number was from Rome, with a 06 dial code, and as soon as he started speaking I recognised the voice as his.

'I was just so surprised that he had telephoned me. He said that he had read my letter and he wanted to speak to me personally about it and reassure me that someone was worried about me.

Read more: Pope Francis baptises baby of unmarried couple in Sistine Chapel | Mail Online
Follow us: *MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

**cardict** · July 8th, 2014 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by Monseratto

- See more at: Priest scolds unwed teen mother; draws online rage | Cebu Daily News

Talk of double standard,see how they will fare facing the mirror

**tidus1203** · July 8th, 2014 01:40 PM

Pope Francis baptises baby of unmarried couple in Sistine Chapel | Mail Online

If the Pope can do it why not a lowly priest?

**Monseratto** · July 8th, 2014 01:50 PM

Heartfelt Apology....maybe he should do it personally in front of the mother, on his knees...

**GTi** · July 8th, 2014 02:30 PM

Mabuti nga ipinapabinyag ang bata, which shows that they plan to raise the child the right way, despite being born illegitimately. Many teenage mothers wouldn't even bother. It would be very discouraging not just to this mother and her family, but also to many other teenage mothers out there who plan to have their children baptized and blessed.

And what right does the priest have to criticize them this way, whether in public or in private? He is not married, nor does he have a family. Hipokrito nga naman. What kind of apology is that? Typewritten, and sounds very cold, forced and robotic.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

**Yuki13** · July 8th, 2014 02:47 PM

^Dapat lang mag apologize sya in person! Ang bastos!

OT: Di pa kami kasal ni misis when we were looking for a church to have our son baptized. When we were reviewing the requirements of the parishes in our shortlist, we noticed that REQUIREMENT ang marriage certificate sa ibang simbahan. Buti na lang yung preferred church namen, the photogenic St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori Parish in Magallanes, hindi unreasonable tulad ng iba. Now why would a parish disalow an innocent child the rite of passage to the religion?

**CLAVEL3699** · July 8th, 2014 02:55 PM

nangyari yan sa kapatid ko pinagsabihan nang pari bago binyagan ang pamangkin ko... sabi nga nang mga tita swerte daw nung pari wala pa ako malamang nag away kami nung pari.

**niky** · July 8th, 2014 02:56 PM

Think of it this way... why force yourself to baptize your child into a religion where he/she will be ostracized and discriminated against?

Could be worse... the child could grow up to be gay.

-

Further reinforces my belief that baptism should only... ONLY... be done when the child "comes of age"...

The whole idea of the removal of "original sin" has always struck me as bizarre, since the whole point of Jesus' death was to remove original sin. Eh... bakit nandyan pa? (The Mormons already saw the flaw in that idea... hence they don't believe in Original Sin). It's simply the Catholic Church's method of keeping control and ensuring that the child, wherever their future desires lay, will be a Catholic for life.

Or until they convert to Islam.

-

If you're a Christian, whatever your belief, Catholic, Mormon, Protestant, etcetera... it doesn't excuse you from the responsibility to act in a Christian manner to others.

**Yuki13** · July 8th, 2014 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by tidus1203

Pope Francis baptises baby of unmarried couple in Sistine Chapel | Mail Online

If the Pope can do it why not a lowly priest?

Just read the article. Excellent point by the Pope!

"Pope Francis today baptised the child of an unmarried couple during a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel, in Rome.

The Pope has previously spoken out to encourage priests to baptise the children of unmarried women in order to pass on the Christian faith, calling those who refuse 'hypocrites'.

According to the Vatican Network, he said: 'You parents have the baby boy or girl to be baptised, but in a few years it will be they who will have a baby to be baptised, or a grandchild... And so goes the chain of faith.

'What does this mean? I would just tell you this: you are the ones that transmit the faith, the transmitters, you have a duty to pass on the faith to these children. It 's the most beautful legacy that you leave to them: the faith.'"