Every May 16, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint John Nepomuceno, an eminent model of the good confessor, especially what it means to protect the priest must give to the secret of confession, or ‘sacramental secrecy’.
Nepomuceno is considered the first martyr to honor the sacrament of Reconciliation with his life. That is, he preferred to die rather than betray the promise made to Christ to administer divine mercy without any condition or external pressure.
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No. 2490 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: «The secret of the sacrament of Reconciliation is sacred and cannot be revealed under any pretext. “The sacramental seal is inviolable; For this reason, the confessor is strictly prohibited from discovering the penitent, by word or in any other way, and for any reason” (CIC can. 983, § 1).”
The power of the priest comes from above and there is no human power that can subdue him
John Nepomuk was born in Nepomuk – hence the nickname ‘Nepomuk’ – the former Kingdom of Bohemia, region of Pilsen (present-day Czech Republic) around the year 1340. He graduated first from the University of Prague and then received a doctorate in Canon Law from the University of Padua (northern Italy). In 1380 he was appointed parish priest in Prague. Years later, in 1393, he would occupy the position of Vicar General of the Archbishop of the city, John of Jenštejn, who had great appreciation and trust in him.
Jan Nepomucký – by his name in Czech – became confessor of Sofia of Bavaria, queen consort of Wenceslas, king of Prague. The story indicates that he, in one of his usual attacks of anger and jealousy, ordered the priest to reveal the sins of his wife. The saint’s refusal so enraged Wenceslas that he threatened him with the death penalty if he did not submit to his will. Saint John flatly refused, earning the king’s resentment, although at first he would not carry out his threat.
A second source of tension would distance Wenceslas even further from Nepomuk: the monarch wanted to take over a monastery that, according to his informants, contained historical treasures, which the king wanted to give to one of his relatives. The saint forbade him to even approach the religious premises, facing him bravely.
God respects the human heart
Wenceslao did not stop stalking the priest and decided to get rid of him without any qualms. Given Nepomuceno’s new refusal to reveal what he had heard in confession, he ordered him to be locked up and tortured to death. The cruel request included the order that his body be thrown into the Vltava River for public ridicule. The crime was committed in the year 1393.
The body of Saint John Nepomuk was collected and buried in a Christian manner a few days later.
In view of his heroic attitude of preferring death rather than revealing a secret of confession, Saint John of Nepomuk is considered the patron saint of confessors. His intercession is also requested as a protector against slander; and his help is invoked in the floods.
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If you want to know more about Saint John Nepomuk, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Juan_Nepomuceno. And, for those who wish to delve deeper into the importance of the secrecy of confession, respect for the truth and the privacy of people, we suggest reviewing articles 2488-2492.
More information in the next link.
Central Editorial
The Catholic Information Agency – ACI Prensa, is part of the news agencies of the ACI Group, one of the largest generators of Catholic news content in five languages and which has belonged since June 2014 to the EWTN Global Catholic Network family, the largest Catholic television network in the world, founded in 1981 by Mother Angelica in Irondale, Alabama (United States), and which reaches more than 85 million homes in 110 countries and 16 territories.