SIMONY IN THE CHURCH: Lessons from histories and stories.

The influx of Pentecostal practise and attitude are creeping into the Catholic Church and if we are not careful, her trademarks of orthodoxy and authenticity will be at the margins. Evidently, many aberrations are finding their ways to the front seat and it is disheartening how strange doctrines are celebrated and enthroned in modern fashion with personal innovations in the liturgy. What is happening to the rubrics, can we go back to the root and the books? This piece is a clarion call to my dear brothers and sisters, a wake-up call to all Catholics to protect the faith we proudly profess and keep out ‘rugalised’ doctrines infiltrating into the parishes. Personally, I am shocked with much pain in my heart on how priests and lay faithful play active parts in keeping the floodgates of error into devotional life of the church. The Catechesis of the church must not sleep nor slumber to checkmate some of the excesses we find around. Can you Imagine a situation when someone brought an Olive Oil to the Bishop for blessing and he says, “once you bless it, My Lord, there will be sales because people will like to buy oil from the Bishop” What? The bishop exclaimed, is this what the Catholic Church has become? He wants the blessed oil not by faith but broad day light simony!

What exactly is Simony ?

Simony is the act of buying or selling spiritual goods, services, or offices, particularly within the Catholic Church. 

The canonical penalty for simony is outlined in the Code of Canon Law:

- *Canon 1380*: "A person who buys or sells a spiritual office or a position of power in the Church commits simony and, if the person is a cleric, is to be punished by a major excommunication, reserved to the Apostolic See; if the person is not a cleric, is to be punished by an interdict."

- *Canon 1381*: "A person who gives or receives something for the conferral of any office or for any favor or promise of an office in the Church commits simony and, unless the case is otherwise provided for, is to be punished according to the seriousness of the delict."

The penalties for simony can include:

- *Excommunication*: The most severe penalty, which excludes the individual from the sacraments and community life.

- *Interdict*: A penalty that prohibits the individual from participating in certain sacraments and sacred functions.

- *Suspension*: A penalty that temporarily or permanently prohibits a cleric from exercising their sacred functions.

- *Laicization*: In severe cases, a cleric may be reduced to the lay state.

It's worth noting that simony is considered a grave offense against the Church and is taken very seriously. The penalties can vary depending on the circumstances and the discretion of the competent authority.

In the eyes of God and the Catholic Church, simony is sinful and a of corruption of religious benefit. Essentially, those who swim in the ocean of simony engage in the acts of receiving or giving money and gift items to a Church officer, in exchange for a religious, holy and spiritual preferences. The offence is dated back to the biblical times as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. To Simon magus the magician, who wanted to buy the spiritual power he saw at work in the apostles, St. Peter responded: "Your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain God's gift with money!" Invariably, Apostle Peter held tenaciously to the words of Jesus: "You received without pay, give without pay." It is illicit therefore to appropriate to oneself spiritual goods or claim ownership of its importance, for they have their source in God.


Historically, the term "simony" originated from the biblical account of Simon Magus, who sought to purchase from St. Peter the spiritual power derived from the imposition of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:18). Such ungodly practises have grown in leaps and bounds from one version to another. For example, to promise prayers only in exchange for a certain sum of money is ‘Simony in action.’ Besides, to confer the Sacred Orders or obtain some position of authority in the Church in return for money or its equivalent is prohibited by ecclesiastical law. Consequently, it’s a grave sin to sell or procure any blessed article in any form or guise. Undoubtedly, many Catholics are ignorant of the fact that the simony is sacrilegious, buying and selling spiritual things in return for the temporal goods. In Simony, the person tries to equate material things, such as money or gifts, with spiritual things, and treats the latter as though he or she has full ownership of what belongs to God.


Troubling Biblical and Church history, there were virtually no instances of simony among Christians after the initial incidence of Simon magus. Although, Christianity faced oppositions and persecutions as an unacceptable religion and there were few people associating with their practices let alone purchasing or go extra miles to pay for it. The turning point came when Christianity became the official religion of the Western Roman Empire. With imperial advancement dependent on Church associations, the less pious and more mercenary sought Church offices for the attendant prestige and economic advantages, and they were willing to spend cash to get them. Believing that Simony could damage the soul, high church officials sought to stop it. The first legislation passed against it was at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, where purchasing or selling promotions to holy orders, including the episcopate, priesthood, and diaconate, were prohibited.

The matters raised a great concern for the church and through the centuries, simony became more widespread. Eventually, trading in benefices blessed oils or other consecrated objects, and paying for Masses (aside from authorized offerings) was included in the offences of simony. In the medieval Catholic Church, Simony was considered one of the greatest crimes, and in the 9th and 10th century it was a particular problem. It was especially notable in those areas where secular leaders appointed church officials. In the 11th century, reform popes such as Gregory VII worked vigorously to stamp out the practice, and indeed, Simony began to decline. By the wake of 16th century, incidents of simony were few and far between.  Strikingly, the darkest period in the history of the Catholic Church was not from popular heresy like Arianism or Protestantism but the determination of a corrupted priesthood and an episcopacy that was distancing itself from the needs of the laity, occurred during the ninth and tenth Centuries.


The bright spark that began turning the tide in that dark age of clerical pride was the establishment of the Benedictine monastery at Cluny, by William "the Pious", the Duke of Aquitaine in France. It has been well argued and argued well that the social system of Feudalism helped to save medieval Europe. In this system, there were four classes of people – the ruling monarchs (the crown) class that controlled all the land and assets of his kingdom, the barons or nobles who swore an oath of loyalty to the ruling monarch and leased land from him in exchange for the right to establish his own legal system, currency and tax scheme, the knights/vassals who were loyal to the baron and leased land from him in exchange for the right to rule his own sub-kingdom were the fourth class of people, the serfs/peasants/villains, who lived and worked at the service of the Lord of the manor in exchange for protection. Within this social system of Feudalism, the bishops and abbots of monasteries were treated as vassals, because they controlled large tracts, land and even Castles. They also exercised the right to tax and administer the law to the serfs/peasants/villeins who lived and worked on their land.

Depending on the strength and wealth of the king, some of the bishops and abbots could be very independent of the pope and more loyal to their king than the pope. This assumed loyalty was not enough for the ruling class. Their desire to only have bishops who were faithful to them and their interests gave birth to the right of lay-investiture in which, prior to his consecration, a king or prince would invest the man elected Bishop with the symbols of his office – a ring (symbolizing the Bishop's marriage with his Church and the crosier) and a shepherd's crook (symbolizing that he was the spiritual shepherd). Afterwards, the Bishop was granted by the ruling monarch a benefice – the land of the diocese and the wealth pertaining. Therefore, should a man be elected Bishop, but not invested by his monarch; thereby, no benefice, he was not really a bishop within the Feudal system. Within such a concept, it was only natural that the practice of Simony (named after Simon Magus – Acts 8:9-24) would come to be, in which the buying and selling of Church offices or privileges for money became very common. Priests, as well, were participating in this system of benefices and Simony, which create an opportunity for a priest to serve not the interest of the People of God, but, rather the Lord and be his pawn. Not even the Papacy escaped the consequences of Feudalism. For, many of them also became handpicked pawns of Roman Lords and Emperors who cared nothing about the People, but, rather, only their self-interest and the interests of their temporal Lord.


These historical records are indicators of the sickening aberrations in the past with full blown status in this present era. The cases may be different, and the fashion may be in different styles but the enthronement of material gains, prosperity gospel and the crave of money over authentic teachings are monsters in the temples. That Jesus flocked the money changers and business-oriented leaders from the temple is a clear indication that the Lord wants us to preserve the sanctity of his household. That biblical passage is ever relevant to us that our Master frowns at the modern-day simony as we trade and barter spiritual goods for material gains. How many had failing already from the appeal of the harvest committee members to auction blessed articles? The most popular one now is the harvested seed, apple, oil, football club jersey, black stone, ex Cetera. Some even bless sand in the name of harvest programme. A man told me, Father, if you refuse to bless the apple, they will not buy it, and there will be no money for us to settle you. What a sacrilege? Where did we get it wrong? Have we suddenly forgotten that whatever a priest bless is never to be sold? This is Simony.

 

The Contemporary priests have a lot of catechesis to do to avoid simony in our parishes. I am not against the level of creativity in increasing the cashflow and sustenance of the ministry, but we must never lose sight of the sacredness in our practises. To the Priests,  do not allow the lay faithful to miss-lead you in any way and  remember that you are the pastor, the custodian of the church rules and regulations, the eye of the Bishop who is the direct descendant of the Apostles on which Jesus found this Holy Roman Catholic Church. Stand firm on the teachings of the Church and catechize your people let them know why they must contribute to building and maintaining the Church instead of brain washing them to buy blessed oil or spiritual articles.

The Laity on their part must be well informed that the new variations of the Christian faith imported from mushroom Churches are antithetical to the teachings of the Catholic Church. The ‘Pentecostal’ syndromes are opposite to the traditional and  orthodox faith handed on by the Apostles. We must not be dissuaded or deceived into turning God to a magician. The self-styled pastors and preachers dwelt on your faithlessness. They blend all sorts of ingredients, spiritual and otherwise to win traditional Catholics over. They wield miracle wands and promise instant relief to all sorts of problems by selling oil and other things; this is not a Catholic way. It is imperative for everyone to build their faith in God and return to the traditional prayers of the Church. Take a non-cursory look at the wordings of the prayers in the church and you will be amazed of the values therein. Pray your Rosary, do novenas and above all visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Your problems will be solved at God's time.

In sum, simony is a grave offence. It is indeed worrisome that despite the laws guiding the Church, some lay people are still blind sighted by false teaching and practises. We must guide against the increasing syncretic practises hoisted ‘ in God’s name” that are not biblical, spiritual, ecclesiastical and canonical. Until we teach the people rightly and condemn the aberrations widely, not minding whose ox is gored, the Church, as well as the parishioners, will continued to be plunged in the dark ocean of simony.

REFERENCE(INTERNET SOURCES)

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