Spanish priest strikes parishioner for blasphemy

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Spanish priest strikes parishioner for blasphemy
A Catholic priest in Spain’s province of Valencia slapped a young man in a church in the town of Rótova during a local festival on the evening of September 5. Believing that the young man had discarded a communion wafer, which the Catholic faith teaches is truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ under the mere appearance of bread, Rev. Victor Jimeno then threw him out of the church while denouncing him as a “blasphemer.” The victim, however, returned the blow. A local politician has called upon the priest, as well as the young man and his parents, to meet on September 7 to discuss the matter.
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1holycatholic said:
Spanish priest strikes parishioner for blasphemy
A Catholic priest in Spain’s province of Valencia slapped a young man in a church in the town of Rótova during a local festival on the evening of September 5. Believing that the young man had discarded a communion wafer, which the Catholic faith teaches is truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ under the mere appearance of bread, Rev. Victor Jimeno then threw him out of the church while denouncing him as a “blasphemer.” The victim, however, returned the blow. A local politician has called upon the priest, as well as the young man and his parents, to meet on September 7 to discuss the matter.
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good. i believe he would have done more than slapping the kid back in the olden days…
 
While it is inexcusable for one to strike a priest, I wonder if the boy actually discarded the wafer.
 
Haha. Good for that priest! I can’t imagine anything like that happening here… I’ve seen a boy kicked out of church but he wasn’t slapped first!
 
Two things:
  1. The article said that the priest “believed” that the youth had discarded the Host, not that the fellow actually did.
  2. The priest had the right to throw the kid out of his church - on any pretext for that matter; but striking him was assault and the return blow could be seen as self-defense.
In the U.S. both could file charges of assault against each other, but given the circumstances, a judge would undoubtedly let both off with a warning not to resort to public brawling.
 
I certainly think the priest was duty bound, IF the boy committed a sacrilege, to order him out of the church and refer to the matter to the bishop. I do NOT understand why anyone would think it laudable that he struck the boy. Our Blessed Lord reprimanded Saint Peter for attempting to defend Him with the sword when the Temple guard came for Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and commanded him to put that sword away. He then healed the servant of the high priest, whom Saint Peter wounded. I don’t think this was in keeping with Our Lord’s teaching.
 
Pat Arnold, who writes for the National Catholic Register, has some personal experience with being slapped:
In trying to decide where I fall on the slap/don’t slap spectrum, I recall when I was 16 in an all boys Catholic High School run by the Franciscans. One day I was mouthing off in a very disrespectful way to a teacher during French class. At that time, the Dean of Students, a certain Brother Gabriel, happened to be walking by the open door of the classroom and heard my disrespect.
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Without a moment’s hesitation he walked right into the classroom and up to me. He ordered me to stand up whereupon he smacked me right across the face. Twenty four other young men took a deep breath in unison. The dean had my attention and the attention of everyone else in that classroom. He then grabbed me by the ear, apologized to the teacher on my behalf and escorted me to his office.
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ncregister.com/blog/priest-slaps-young-man-for-desecrating-eucharist/
 
JKirkLVNV said:
I certainly think the priest was duty bound, IF the boy committed a sacrilege, to order him out of the church and refer to the matter to the bishop. I do NOT understand why anyone would think it laudable that he struck the boy. Our Blessed Lord reprimanded Saint Peter for attempting to defend Him with the sword when the Temple guard came for Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and commanded him to put that sword away. He then healed the servant of the high priest, whom Saint Peter wounded. I don’t think this was in keeping with Our Lord’s teaching.
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St Peter took up arms against a representative of a legal authority doing his job, which is a totally different scenario.

What did Christ do to the moneychangers, who were merely desecrating the Temple and not Christ Himself?
 
St_Francis said:
St Peter took up arms against a representative of a legal authority doing his job, which is a totally different scenario.

What did Christ do to the moneychangers, who were merely desecrating the Temple and not Christ Himself?
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That’s trotted out a great deal, Our Lord dealing with the moneychangers. The Holy One, however, was and is God, free to do with His creatures as He will. We are not God and He has commanded us to behave in certain ways regarding our fellow creatures.

The prayer in your signature prays for the conversion of the lost. I doubt if anyone is particularly drawn to the faith by being struck.
 
JKirkLVNV said:
I certainly think the priest was duty bound, IF the boy committed a sacrilege, to order him out of the church and refer to the matter to the bishop. I do NOT understand why anyone would think it laudable that he struck the boy. Our Blessed Lord reprimanded Saint Peter for attempting to defend Him with the sword when the Temple guard came for Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and commanded him to put that sword away. He then healed the servant of the high priest, whom Saint Peter wounded. I don’t think this was in keeping with Our Lord’s teaching.
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He probably did it for the same reason St. Peter did: somebody hurt his Lord and it was an automatic reflex. Probably not even pre-meditated.

I’m not saying that it was RIGHT, (but, Bless this priest), but, it was a reaction.
 
adstrinity said:
He probably did it for the same reason St. Peter did: somebody hurt his Lord and it was an automatic reflex. Probably not even pre-meditated.

I’m not saying that it was RIGHT, (but, Bless this priest), but, it was a reaction.
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No, no, I quite understand. His was a natural reaction. Let’s understand it, sympathize with it, realize we probably would have done the same thing…but don’t let’s praise it.
 
JKirkLVNV said:
That’s trotted out a great deal, Our Lord dealing with the moneychangers. The Holy One, however, was and is God, free to do with His creatures as He will. We are not God and He has commanded us to behave in certain ways regarding our fellow creatures.

The prayer in your signature prays for the conversion of the lost. I doubt if anyone is particularly drawn to the faith by being struck.
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Have you ever heard one of those stories where the big kid bullies the little kid and one day the little kid fights back and then they become best friends?

People are drawn to the Faith in many ways. This kid (of 21) is apparently not at all currently drawn to the Church nor to Christ Himself right now. Do you really think that more of the same attempting to *understaaaaand *him is going to draw him to the Church? I don’t. I think that if anything were to draw him to the Church, it would be something like this, someone taking a stand against his spoiled bratness, something he can *respect. *

One of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner. When the sin is the *deliberate desecration of our Lord, Who died for us on the Cross, *admonition can most certainly encompass a mere slap on the face. People used to be burned for less.
 
JKirkLVNV said:
I certainly think the priest was duty bound, IF the boy committed a sacrilege, to order him out of the church and refer to the matter to the bishop. I do NOT understand why anyone would think it laudable that he struck the boy. Our Blessed Lord reprimanded Saint Peter for attempting to defend Him with the sword when the Temple guard came for Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and commanded him to put that sword away. He then healed the servant of the high priest, whom Saint Peter wounded. I don’t think this was in keeping with Our Lord’s teaching.
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The Pope carried a sword? Sweet!

If this fellow in question really did desecrate the Most Precious Body of Our Lord, he’s lucky he wasn’t killed. If any of us lived in really just and morally decent societies, the kind we should be creating as Catholics with our political participation, the penalty for deliberate sacrilege would be death.

No one should abuse the Body of our King.
 
:coolinoff::coolinoff::coolinoff::cool::thank you:
Rich_Olszewski said:
Two things:
  1. The article said that the priest “believed” that the youth had discarded the Host, not that the fellow actually did.
  2. The priest had the right to throw the kid out of his church - on any pretext for that matter; but striking him was assault and the return blow could be seen as self-defense.
In the U.S. both could file charges of assault against each other, but given the circumstances, a judge would undoubtedly let both off with a warning not to resort to public brawling.
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I agree with you 100%

I felt as though the article was lacking in the several critical details. The suspected offense was to have taken place in church, during a festival. Church during a festival? Were there any witnesses at all? What preceded that alleged offense?.It is highly unlikely that one walks into a church and just throws communion bread for no reason a all. The alleged offender was a “young man.” That term is left to interpretation. My father called my brother a young man when he was 12 years old. Was this person a adult or minor. For all we know, this alleged offender could have had a history of psychiatric problems.

The priest was wrong for several reasons. It is wrong to strike another human being unless you are defending your own safety. Physical harm to another should not occur out of anger, rage or punishment. We are taught to pray for out enemies and forgive them.

Priests are human and make mistakes. I have a well controlled temper and loathe violence. I would never harm another over a difference on religious beliefs. I would, however; give my own life to defend my belief in God.

The town churches need to talk about this matter. Thank You.
 
St_Francis said:
Have you ever heard one of those stories where the big kid bullies the little kid and one day the little kid fights back and then they become best friends? Yes, but I think it’s a stretch to say that it applies here.

People are drawn to the Faith in many ways. This kid (of 21) is apparently not at all currently drawn to the Church nor to Christ Himself right now. Do you really think that more of the same attempting to *understaaaaand *him is going to draw him to the Church? I don’t. I think that if anything were to draw him to the Church, it would be something like this, someone taking a stand against his spoiled bratness, something he can *respect. ***No, you’ve misunderstood me. I meant “understaaaaand” the priest and what motivated him to do it. He could have taken a stand by simply ordering him out of the church. He did not have to strike him. **

One of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner. When the sin is the *deliberate desecration of our Lord, Who died for us on the Cross, *admonition can most certainly encompass a mere slap on the face. People used to be burned for less.
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**I’m aware of the spiritual works of mercy and what they entail. That they might encompass a priest of Jesus Christ slapping someone is your opinion and one that does not seem congruent with the life and teachings of the Holy One or your namesake, if that saint is Francis of Assisi. **
 
Adeodatus said:
The Pope carried a sword? Sweet!

If this fellow in question really did desecrate the Most Precious Body of Our Lord, he’s lucky he wasn’t killed. If any of us lived in really just and morally decent societies, the kind we should be creating as Catholics with our political participation, the penalty for deliberate sacrilege would be death.

No one should abuse the Body of our King.
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I read nothing in the New Testament that would agree with you. If you didn’t realize that St. Peter carried a sword into Gethsemane, that might suggest you want to aquaint yourself more intimately with the document that relates that story, as well as the bits about “turn the other cheek,” “he who lives by the sword,” etc.

No, no one should abuse the Body of Our Lord, but as Ven. Pope John Paul II said “The Church imposes nothing. She proposes.” We aren’t Moslems.
 
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