Priest ‘humiliates’ single mother

CEBU, Philippines - A priest in Jagobiao, Mandaue City is in hot water after he reportedly scolded a 17-year-old single mother who wanted her one-month-old child baptized at the Sacred Heart Chaplaincy yesterday. 

The video of the incident Sunday, which was posted online, became viral and drew flak from netizens. The video has already been shared in Facebook for almost 20,000 times as of last night. 

The video was taken by the girl’s 12-year-old sister.

The priest was identified as Fr. Romeo Obach but The FREEMAN is withholding the name of the child’s mother because of her being a minor.

“Mga babaye, ayaw mo pagsunod sa hiwi nga binuhatan sa kalibutan, nga mosugot lang mo nga modug ug lalaki nga di pa ninyo bana. Ingon ana ba diay ang atong pagtulon-an sa simbahan? Kaning bata, wala ni sala pero ang mga babae ug lalaki nga makigdu’g nga wala pay kasal, maoy nagpuyo sa sala. Mapasa usahay sa bata ang disgrasya. Hinaot pa nga dili kay naghappy-happy ug naglingaw-lingaw mo kay naay bata. O grasya ni pero nabuhat ni siya sa sala. Wala ni siya buhata sa... Naminyo ba ka, Day? Nakasal ka ba? O, tan-awa, angayan ba ni? Maayo ba ni siya nga Kristiyanos? Ipanghambog ba nato ni, Day? Nga naa kay anak nya wa kay bana? Kaulaw ani, Day. Motago gani unta ka karon, kay naa kas simbahan, kay makaulaw. Kay magpabunyag ka nga wa kay bana, nakigdug ka og laki nga di nimo bana. Nakadungog ka nako, Day? Di ka mauwaw? Dako kaayo ng uwaw. Nya kamo, mosunod mo? Mobikangkang mo sa laki nga mokuhit ninyo? Mao na nga makauwaw ni,” Obach was seen as saying in the video.

“Ikaw gibunyagan ka pero wala nimo tumana ang imong mga saad sa bunyag. Hinaot kining bataa mutubo nga mutuman sa iyang saad sa bunyag. Ikaw magmatuto ani... bisag hiwi ka, yabag ka, hinaot pa nga naay nag-uban mutabang para dili mayabag ning bata sama nimo. Nga di musunod nimo nga dili musunod sa pagtulun-an ni Kristo,” Obach added.

The chapel is reportedly affiliated with the Redemptorist Church in Cebu City and the baptism was attended by 50 people, including the girl’s family, relatives and classmates. Barangay officials were also reportedly present at that time.

In an interview with The FREEMAN yesterday, the girl’s mother, one of the tanods of Barangay Jagobiao, said they were very embarrassed about what happened but her husband reportedly decided they would just finish the ceremony.

“Nagblack-out ko sa kauwaw, ginikanan gud mi,” the girl’s mother said, adding, “Maayo siya tagaan ug silot para ma-leksyon.”

“Dili pariwara akong anak,” she said.

Her daughter is reportedly enrolled at a local university and is not a troubled child. The pregnancy was an accident and her daughter reportedly attempted to end her life last March after her boyfriend who got her pregnant left her for another girl.

After the suicide attempt, the girl got psychological intervention at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

The mother said they could not understand why the priest had to scold her daughter in public, considering they all paid for the fees for the rites.

“Okay ra kasab-an dala advice kaysa pakauwawan ka,” she said. 

She said her daughter met the child’s father in their hometown in northern Cebu. The child was reportedly born in May prematurely.

She said Obach is reportedly new in the barangay.

If the girl’s grandmother would have her way, she said she would want the priest to apologize publicly.

“Mag-public apology siya or i-viral sa Facebook” she said.

The FREEMAN tried to contact Obach but the priest could not be reached for his side.

Wrong

In an interview with The FREEMAN, Msgr. Esteban Binghay, Episcopal Vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said the manner by which Obach gave his advice was inappropriate.

“Ang katuyoan sa pari maayo pero ang iyang pamaagi dili maayo. Makauuwaw. I-uplift unta ni siya (mother) pero kung iduot, counter-productive. Maayo nalang wa gi-abort,” Binghay said.

Binghay added that Obach should have showed respect and courtesy towards the young mother, considering what she has been through.

He said the young mother’s decision to bear the child is itself commendable.

“It was unbrotherly and unchristian towards the flock we serve. He may be teaching the young lady-mom some lessons but the manner was not candid that it caused scandal to many faithful. Instead of becoming welcoming and charitably oriented, he reprimanded the poor lady,” Father Charles Jayme told The FREEMAN.

Jayme was the custodian of the official image of the first Visayan martyr and local patron of the youth San Pedro Calungsod during the canonization in 2012 and related activity including the Duaw Nasud pilgrimage of the image around the country.

The incident triggered comparison with the act of Pope Francis who baptized a baby of an unwed couple at the Sistine Chapel in Rome in January. 

Pope Francis

A story appeared on the Mail online said Pope Francis has “previously spoken out to encourage priests to baptize the children of unmarried women in order to pass on the Christian faith, calling those who refuse ‘hypocrites.’”

Vatican Network also quoted the pope as saying: ‘You parents have the baby boy or girl to be baptized, but in a few years it will be they who will have a baby to be baptized, 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,” he added.

Reactions from netizens

Netizens reacted differently with some condemning the priest and sympathizing with the baby’s mother while others justifying the sermon.

“Yeah he is telling the truth but at least he can say it in a nice way thought… RESPETO LANG SAD BA…… ang tawo nga nadagma diba dapat man pabarogon… di man dapat tamakan… just sayin…” wrote D Einsteinette Emz.

Belen Cirilo, on the other hand, said “WAY mas BASTOS SA IMONG GEH POST DAI??? PARI na di ka dapat mag post2x ug ingon ani. Dobli imong kauwaw dai. Ang pari nagpa remind lang na.ug kung affected kas geh panulti sa pari dapat imo nang pamalandungan… comment lang ni nako. Moa niy geh ingon nga pagpahigmata.”

Vi Castillari suggested the removal of the priest from the church.

 “Yes, the priest said it too much, but reality bites that’s true. His words are not just for the mother but for everybody. Posting the video wont solve the issue not even your heartaches. Only prayer can heal your wounded heart. For those who shared this and cursed the priest! God bless you all,” wrote Lieju Naa GaLina in reaction to hundreds of comments at Frias’ Facebook video post.

Another lauded the teenage mother for not resorting to abortion and still deciding to have the baby baptized despite the stigma of being an unwed mother.  — with Edwin Ian Melecio/JMO