A video of a priest who berated an unwed teenage mom during a baptism rite drew flak from netizens on social media.
The video was taken by the teenager's 12 years old sister in Sacred Heart Chaplaincy, Eversely Child Sanitarium in Mandaue City, Cebu.
The priest was identified as Fr. Romeo Obach, who then became the talk of the town after the video was uploaded by the baptized child's grandmother where it drew sympathizers.
“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,
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 magmatutoani... bisag hiwi ka, yabag ka, hinaot pa nganaay nag-uban mutabang para dili mayabag ning bata sama nimo. Nga di musunod nimo nga dili musunod sa pagtulun-an ni Kristo,” Fr. Obach in his humiliating sermon in the video.
( Women!, don't follow the crooked ways in this world, that you agree to sleep with a man that is not yet your husband.Is that the teaching of our church? This child has no sin but those women and men who sleep together without matrimony are the ones who is living in sin. Sometimes the disgrace is passed on to the child. Hopefully you don't get happy and joyful because of the child. Yes this is grace but this is made out of sin. This is not made from...
Are you married girl? Have you been wed? See! Is this right? Is she a good christian? Should we be proud of this, girl? That you have a child with no husband? It's a shame, girl. You should have hide now, because you're in the church, 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? Very shameful. You(to the attendees), want to follow her? You spread your legs to a man who poked you? That's why this is shameful.
You, you are baptized but you don't fulfill your promises in baptism. Hopefully this child will grow fulfilling the promises in baptism. You nurture this, even you are crooked, you're out of yourself, Hopefully there is someone who will abide to help so that this child will not be like you. That will never follow you who doesn't follow the teachings of Christ.)
An episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu, Msgr. Esteban Binghay, said that Fr. Obach's attitude towards the teenage mom during the christening ceremony was “against the rule of courtesy and charity.”
The mother of teenager clarified that her daughter is not a troubled girl. Reportedly, the teenage single mom was enrolled at a local university and that she attempts to end her life after knowing that the guy who got her pregnant left for another girl.
After the suicide attempt, she undergoes a psychological intervention at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.
After the rage of the christened child's family and feedbacks from netizens where condemnation is dominant, a remorseful and tearful Fr. Romeo met the teen mom to personally apologize for his actions.
He was accompanied by two fellow priests where he gave also a handwritten apology and three medallions- for the mother, grandmother and for the baby.
They are now in good terms as the mother said that she has no more hatred to the priest.
Watch the video.
