Seal of Confesion

In 1853, a parish priest in the Ukraine was stripped of his priesthood, convicted of murder and condemned to Siberia for life. The priest's gun used in the slaying was found hidden behind the high altar of his church.

"I assure you that I am innocent," he told the court, and that was his only defense. He was led away in chains while his bishop and parishioners stood weeping.

Twenty years later, the parish organist lay dying. He called for the village magistrate, and told him before many witnesses that he was the one guilty of the murder for which the priest was sentenced. The organist had killed so that he might marry his victim's widow. He hid the gun and directed the police to it. Overwhelmed by remorse, he had visited the priest in prison and had confessed, but he lacked the courage to admit his guilt to the authorities.

The priest had known through confession who was guilty. But he preferred to pass as the criminal himself rather than break the seal of confession. An order for the release of the priest was rushed to the Siberian prison. But it was too late. Worn out by his sufferings and hard labor, the priest had died a few weeks before, carrying his grim secret to the grave.