St. John Nepomuk On this day in 1729, Pope Benedict XIII canonized St. John of Nepomuk, naming him the patron saint of the seal of confession. The seal of confession refers to the obligation of priests not to reveal anything they may hear in confession. Born about 1354 in Bohemia (now known as the Czech Republic), John was the son of wealthy Christians. He studied theology and canon law at the University of Prague and the University of Padua. He received a post in the royal court in Prague, and eventually became the confessor of the wife of King Wenceslaus VI. Tradition says that Wenceslaus (suspicious that his wife had a secret lover) demanded that John tell him the details of her confessions. When John refused to violate the seal of confession, the angry king ordered him to be tortured and then thrown off the bridge into the Moldau River. St. John died on March 20, 1393. His feast is May 16.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 15:35:59 +0000
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