Not a Party to a Dispute
Not a Party to a Dispute
The priest must not become a party to a dispute.
If he intervenes in a dispute between two parties, everyone must observe his impartiality and righteousness, by giving everyone his due right. He must not side with a particular party and stand as an adversary against the other party.
Everyone should feel that they are his children, and that he loves them all.
In particular, he should be very careful in matters of personal status and in matters of marital problems… It is not right for him to give testimony before the court that destroys the future or rights of either party, causing that person to feel that the Church has wronged him and caused him harm.
Because in this way, the priest becomes an adversary, not a father!
By such conduct, he may lose not only one person, but perhaps an entire family, as well as their friends and acquaintances…
The priest must bear witness to the truth, and sometimes rebuke. But he must never take a hostile position toward any of his children, with all the consequences that such a position entails…
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