By Farah G. Decano

 

ONE Saturday morning, a friend forwarded to me a YouTube video created by a good-looking young man from Batangas.  She requested me: “Please watch and tell me what you think.”

The video was a good fourteen minutes packed with various cuts from a Catholic wedding ceremony including interviews with the bride and her mother.  The personalized film began with the vlogger stating that he was attending a special event – a nuptial – which made him fidgety.  The viewers would soon find themselves watching the host inside the bridal car humoring the woman about to be married.  He urged the beaming wife-to-be to compare him with her groom which made her giggle and throw light pats on the arm of the animated presenter.

Immediately after the solemnization, the spirited young vlogger did the same with the bride’s mother.  He inquired from the latter who between him and the husband was her preference. Perhaps, she felt she was put on the spot and out of courtesy, instead of coming up with an answer, the senior citizen mother-of-the-bride responded with an amused glee.

The host’s antics may not seem offensive because, as Filipinos, we joke about everything. We find ourselves easily forgiving inappropriate humor in the spirit of playfulness.

In this case, however, I cannot see past the fact that the vlogger was the bride’s ex-boyfriend. Worse, this ex is now a priest. Worst, he agreed to deliver the homily during the wedding and divulged to the congregation that he was the bride’s former beau.

I was profusely offended for the groom. I noticed his face squirmed during the sermon as he kept tapping his fingers on his lap likely wishing the homily to be over.  Maybe he asked himself – Why was the ex of his bride stealing the thunder from him?  Why did this prior flame even pose for posterity beside the newlyweds?   Why was this boyfriend from the past dishing out innuendos to his bride which smacked of flirtation in the guise of making a humorous vlog for the world to see?

I am offended as a Catholic.  Priests are Holy Servants of God. They are expected to always act with prudence and propriety. They must never put themselves and others in temptation and in occasions thereof.

Teasing oneself to an ex is not only in poor taste. It is risking the possibility of rekindling a spark.  It appeared that this supposedly holy young man courted possible temptation. The priest also displayed lack of prudence for even accepting the preaching job.  Perhaps, he believed that the very unique content of his video will bring unprecedented views on YouTube.  Come to think of it, a priest delivering the homily during the wedding of his former girlfriend to another man is a rare event that would likely invite hordes of curious viewers to his channel.  This particular episode might be salacious even to the ordinary Marites.

But as a priest, he should have led the way in the suppression of rumors or events that have the propensity to trigger rumors. This man of the cloth forgot his priorities.  Instead of “pagpapa-cute,” chasing clout, pleasing fans, and seeking increased popularity, he should have been more concerned with the salvation of souls.

I hope the Catholic Church comes up with guidelines as regards content creation for vlogs owned and/or managed by priests.   The reach through this medium is worldwide.   We do not wish to have misguided priests who are drunk with popularity to mess up with the faith.  We want our priests as the shepherds of souls and not as wolves who prey on the weakness of the congregation for sensationalism, gossip, and idolatry.

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