Punishment — Part 2

The lecture explains the principles of pastoral punishment in the church: that punishment has a therapeutic role aimed at reforming the soul and preserving the congregation, not to humiliate or destroy the person, and that the priest has the right to apply disciplinary measures when pastoral good requires but with conditions of wisdom and mercy.

General principles of punishment

Punishment is used only in major and serious matters, not for every small slip, and it must be proportionate to the sin and to the offender’s ability to endure. The priest should not become a harsh or irritable person in applying it.

Privacy versus publicity

Punishment may be applied privately between the father and his spiritual child if the fault is private, and announced before everyone only if the fault was public and contrary to public order, because publicity in such cases prevents others from taking liberties.

Method and wisdom in chastisement

Frequent harsh rebuke or insult is forbidden because it may make the priest a stumbling block for the punished person; the best methods are an appropriate word or rebuke that awakens conscience, and sometimes therapeutic measures suffice instead of severe punishment.

Therapeutic purpose and teaching instead of punishment

The church seeks as far as possible to erase sin by teaching and preaching (“erase the sin by teaching”), and offers therapeutic measures such as refraining from certain works or readings or fasting to correct behavior not to humiliate.

Ecclesiastical punishments and practical measures

There are degrees of punishments: prayers (mataniyat), fasting, abstaining from Communion for a period, suspension from a particular sacrament, or defrocking in grave cases. Also two punishments are not imposed for one sin according to the law. The bishop may mitigate or limit the punishment according to the type of sin and the offender’s character.

The sacrament of confession and confidentiality

Confession is a secret that must not be revealed, and the priest must not use someone’s confessions to expose them to others or to entangle himself or another. If a punishment exposes a confessed sin, this constitutes a breach of the secret and the priest may be forbidden from hearing confessions.

Repentance and withdrawal of punishment

Punishments can be lifted if the repentance is genuine, as in Paul’s case with the sinner of Corinth; the goal is to restore the person to the community in love after his repentance, not to keep the punishment for life.

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