Catholic priest's advice to a fourteen-year-old girl

[chilipeppasbaby]

My character is a fourteen-year-old girl who migrated to Australia with her family from Singapore when she was six. Her family were Hindus way back when, but have been Catholic for generations. She attends a Catholic girls' high school, where she is bullied by other girls for being what they consider overly religious: volunteering to sing a hymn

Comments

[nineveh_uk]

I'd hope he'd tell her to tell the teachers, and take steps himself to ensure that bullying was stronbgly discouraged in the school, but alas, your story is set on planet earth...

[nineveh_uk]

Well, priests are not allowed to divulge anything said to them in Confession, so unless she gave him permission to tell her teachers, he wouldn't be able to do so. Priests cannot even tell the police if somebody confesses a serious crime like murder

[nineveh_uk]

He doesn't have to tell the teachers it's about her, or even in more general terms mention that he knows bullying is going on. But he could off his own bat decide to look at the school policy on bullying and take steps to ensure that it is both adequate and being appropriately enforced across the board (which in this scenario is clearly not the case). He could even, god forbid, lie: "I saw some children behaving in the playground in a way that concerns me. I won't identify them, but I think you need to take immediate steps about bullying in the school." If he thought it important, there would be ways and means without brining the girl in - she isn't a murderer, she is merely the symptom of a wider problem, and the problem is separate.

[nineveh_uk]

I actually misread your comment. I thought it said that he should tell a teacher, when it said he should advise her to tell a teacher, so that's what I was saying wouldn't be allowed. Sorry about that. I should have read more carefully before replying.
-Margaret

[gehayi]

Well, priests are not allowed to divulge anything said to them in Confession, so unless she gave him permission to tell her teachers, he wouldn't be able to do so. Priests cannot even tell the police if somebody confesses a serious crime like murder.

This is true. However, priests ARE allowed to speak to those in authority about future crimes. So while he couldn't talk to her teachers and say, "Frances Volney and Caroline Wentworth have been bullying Beth Mason," he could say, "You might want to watch over Beth Mason, as some of the girls may be thinking of bullying her for religious reasons."

He might tell her to ignore them and point out that the bullying is more a result of their own immaturity and lack of security in their identity than anything to do with her.

He might. However, I've never noticed that ignoring bullies does the slightest bit of good. They don't go away when they're ignored--they just become more determined than ever to make your life Hell.

[nineveh_uk]

He might. However, I've never noticed that ignoring bullies does the slightest bit of good. They don't go away when they're ignored--they just become more determined than ever to make your life Hell.
Oh, definitely. It wouldn't be particularly good advice, but people often give advice that isn't particularly helpful and there are adults who believe that teasing harms nobody and the victim is just being oversensitive and that it can only affect him/her if (s)he lets it.

And I just realised I misread the post I was replying to. I read it as saying he should tell a teacher, rather than he should tell her to tell a teacher.
-Margaret.