The Irish standard., 1906-08-25
MARTYR OF THE CONFESSIONAL.
Priest Suffered Disgrace and Death to
Keep Its Secrets lnvolate.


The following remarkable story Of
the inviolablity Of the confessional is
reprinted in the New York Freemans $
Journal from an old number of the
London Tablet:
In the year 1853 the cathedral church
at Zitomir. in Russian Volhynia, was
the scene OF the most mournful of all
church ceremonies the degradation of
priest The church was filled to
overtlowing by persons who lamented
aloud; the Bishop whose painful duty
it was to perform the sad rites, Msgr
Borowski. could not restrain his grief
all the more because the priest who was
subject to it was universally respected
His name WAS kobzlowicz and he was
priest as Oratov, in the Ukraine. From
the time of his ordination he was re-
garded as one of the most piOus and
Jealous priests of the diocese; he had
considerable reputation as Il preacher
and was greatly esteemed as con-
fessor He rebuilt his parish church
and decorated it, and from the time
he was placed in charge of the par
ish h" seemed to redouble his zeal. All
who knew anything about him. heo
was accused of having murdered IL
public official of the place The chier
piece of evidence against him was Il
double -barrelled fowling piece. which
was found hidden behind the high al
tar, which was proved to belong to-
him. and one barrel of which had been
lately discharged. He was convicted
of the murder. and the court sentenced
him to penal Servitude for life in ST.
IBERIA.
Conformably to canonical rules he
was degraded from the priesthood be-
fore this sentence was carried out;
and then his hair was cut off, he was
clad in convict apparel, and then In
corporated in the chained sang of
criminals vino made their march to ST.
IBERIA. Years passed away. and every
forgotten. except by Il few persons.
Then the organist of the church OF
Oratov. finding himself at the point
of death, sent for the principal per-
sons of the district, and in their pres
ence confessed that he was the MUIR
tlerer of the official He added that
he had done SO in the hone of being
able I" marry his widow. After COM
mitting the crime. he took the gun
with which he had shot the unfortu-
nate man. and hid it where, upon his
suggestion, the police found il, anG
he ingcniously managed to direct sus-
picinn ON the priest. But the strangest
part of his story remains to be told
After the arrest of the priest, being
torn with remorSe. he visited him in
prison and went to confession to him,
disclosing that he himself was the
criminal. He had then the purpose
of acknowledging his guilt before the
| tribunal. but his courage failed him.
and he allowed things to proceed on
| their false course.
Thus the poor priest. KObzlowicz
knew well who was the genuine MUIR
dcrer, but he knew it only through
| the confessional. A word would have
set him free from the terrible charge
But this would have broken the seal
of the confessional. and he preferred
to undergo depreciation and penal ser
vitudc for life and lose his good name
| and be regarded as Il shameless GRIM
inal. The confession of the Organlst
WAS subsequently taken in regular leg
al form. and then the government sent
directions to have the priest sought
out and set at liberty. his innocence
being publicly proclaimed. But he was
beyond the reach of human cOmpcns;,-
| ton, ana had gone before a tribunal
where error is impossible, and where
ample justice will have been done to
his heroic virtue He died without
ever having let the slightest slsl: trans
pire of the real condition of things