With just over a week to go before Holy Week, no less than the Jesuit-led Ateneo de Manila University, one of the most prestigious schools in the Philippines, is being rocked with a scandal, involving a senior high school student pocketing the host or communion wafer from Mass and posting an online review about it.
The student took to Twitter to post an ostiya (host) review, commenting on its design, crispness, taste, and wow factor, rating each quality from a scale of 1 to 10.
A student from Ateneo de Manila University-Senior High School intentionally kept and not consumed the Holy Eucharist just to post a “food review” online. Because of this, masses in all Ateneo chapels and churches are suspended as an act of Reparation and Attonement to the said sacrilege.
by u/Future_Resolve9691 in Philippines
“DESIGN: 6/10. I like the vibe but if it was centered I think it’d be a lot better,” read a portion of the student’s review, rating the wafer a total of 7.1 out of 10.
This led the university’s senior high school department to release a statement announcing the cancellation of masses to atone and make reparations for the sacrilegious act.
ICYDK, in canon law, the profanation of the host (also known as the Eucharist) is a grave sin as it represents the body of Christ — and merits excommunication.
“It has come to our attention that a student committed a sacrilegious act during our recent School-Wide Mass. We would like to express our deepest apologies to the entire Ateneo de Manila Senior High School community for this unfortunate incident. We also want to clarify sacrilege and what reparation and atonement are needed to heal from this act,” the Ateneo Senior High School department wrote.
“Sacrilege is a grave sin committed against sacred persons or things, particularly those consecrated to God. In the Catholic Church, it is an offense against the holiness of God and His Church. The Eucharist, the source and summit of our Catholic faith, is the most sacred and central act of worship for us,” it explained.
“Therefore, any act that shows disrespect, irreverence, or contempt towards the Eucharist, or any other sacred object, is considered sacrilegious.
“As a Catholic educational institution, we must take responsibility for this grave offense and take the necessary steps to repair the harm done. As a community, we need to engage in reparation and atonement for this sacrilegious act. Reparation means making amends for the offense committed by offering prayers, penance, and acts of charity to make up for the offense committed. Atonement, on the other hand, is the process of seeking forgiveness for the offense committed and making a sincere effort to amend one’s ways and avoid repeating the same mistake. As we address this, let us remember the importance of incorporating Ignatian values in our process of reparation and atonement.”
The department said that they could “move towards healing and restoring the sanctity of the Holy Eucharist” through their collective efforts of reparation and atonement.
It is unclear whether the student was meted out a disciplinary action for the sacrilegious act.
Netizens criticized the student’s actions online and said he was trying too hard to be edgy.
“This m’fer single handedly united the Christians and atheists to tell him that he’s cringe,” one wrote on Reddit.
“True. He tried too hard to be edgy. Try doing that to other religions like Islam or Hinduism. Just because you don’t believe in others’ beliefs doesn’t mean you won’t respect it,” another said.
“I don’t get rich kid humor,” another jabbed.
The Ateneo de Manila University traces its roots to 1859, when it was founded by the Jesuit order. Today, it is known for Catholic liberal education as one of the best in the Philippines, overtaking the University of the Philippines in the Times Higher Education ranking in October at the 351-400 bracket.
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