Question:

– If a thief steals something from a priest, then comes to him confessing his sin, what should the priest do with him?

Answer:

Here, the thief has committed a sin against the priest by stealing from him, and a sin against God by breaking His commandments.

On a personal level, the priest should forgive the thief for his theft, keep his heart pure toward him, forget his offense, and rejoice in his repentance.

As for God’s right, the priest must make sure that this thief has truly repented.

In general, whenever a thief comes to a priest in repentance, the priest must, as far as possible, instruct him to return what he has stolen to its owners.

In the repentance of Zacchaeus the tax collector, we see that he returned what he had taken from people many times over.

Therefore, if this thief is truly repentant from the depths of his heart, he must return what he has stolen.

However, the priest may relinquish this right out of paternal generosity,

in order to show the repentant thief that he is not influenced by any personal consideration.

An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – El-Keraza Magazine – Second Year – Issue 10 – December 1966.

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