Proves that his wisdom was given by God.
Amos Yee left, he wasn’t kicked out: Catholic Church
by Neo Chai Chin, TODAY
Channel NewsAsia Singapore NewsToday, 01:40
SINGAPORE: The Catholic Church in Singapore on Tuesday (May 12) clarified that teenage blogger Amos Yee was not excommunicated, contrary to his account in a statement to the police.
Media reports last week about incidents that caused him to become an atheist - based on the 16-year-old’s police statement that was tendered to the court - have provoked strong reactions from the public.
According to the police statement, one incident was about Amos being “asked to leave” the church in 2013, when he told a priest his reservations about being confirmed as a Catholic.
In the same statement - recorded on the night of March 29, a few hours after he was arrested - Amos had said: “As a result of my research into atheism and possibly, the emotional catalysts that drove me away from my church, I stopped going to church in mid-2013 and stopped practising the faith altogether.”
On Tuesday, a spokesperson from the Archdiocesan Communications Office, responded to TODAY’s queries, saying Amos’ “decision to leave the Church was totally of his own accord”. The spokesperson added: “The Church respects his freedom to leave the faith. Nevertheless, the doors of the Church continue to remain open to him, and we pray that God will enlighten him in the truth.”
The church had also reached out to Amos before he was to have been confirmed as a Catholic, she added.
“In this instance, our records show that much effort was put into reaching out to Amos over the period that he was being prepared for the Sacrament of Confirmation. However, in spite of these overtures, Amos was not receptive and lacked the faith to receive the Sacrament,” she said.
In its statement issued a couple of hours after Amos was convicted of uploading online content intended to wound the religious feelings of Christians, and of uploading an obscene image, the Catholic Church’s spokesperson also said it is deeply saddened by the turn of events and will be happy to welcome him back.
Amos’ sentencing is expected to be on Jun 2, when the assessment report on his suitability for probation is submitted.
Read the original TODAY report here.
Amos Yee left, he wasn’t kicked out: Catholic Church
by Neo Chai Chin, TODAY
Channel NewsAsia Singapore NewsToday, 01:40
SINGAPORE: The Catholic Church in Singapore on Tuesday (May 12) clarified that teenage blogger Amos Yee was not excommunicated, contrary to his account in a statement to the police.
Media reports last week about incidents that caused him to become an atheist - based on the 16-year-old’s police statement that was tendered to the court - have provoked strong reactions from the public.
According to the police statement, one incident was about Amos being “asked to leave” the church in 2013, when he told a priest his reservations about being confirmed as a Catholic.
In the same statement - recorded on the night of March 29, a few hours after he was arrested - Amos had said: “As a result of my research into atheism and possibly, the emotional catalysts that drove me away from my church, I stopped going to church in mid-2013 and stopped practising the faith altogether.”
On Tuesday, a spokesperson from the Archdiocesan Communications Office, responded to TODAY’s queries, saying Amos’ “decision to leave the Church was totally of his own accord”. The spokesperson added: “The Church respects his freedom to leave the faith. Nevertheless, the doors of the Church continue to remain open to him, and we pray that God will enlighten him in the truth.”
The church had also reached out to Amos before he was to have been confirmed as a Catholic, she added.
“In this instance, our records show that much effort was put into reaching out to Amos over the period that he was being prepared for the Sacrament of Confirmation. However, in spite of these overtures, Amos was not receptive and lacked the faith to receive the Sacrament,” she said.
In its statement issued a couple of hours after Amos was convicted of uploading online content intended to wound the religious feelings of Christians, and of uploading an obscene image, the Catholic Church’s spokesperson also said it is deeply saddened by the turn of events and will be happy to welcome him back.
Amos’ sentencing is expected to be on Jun 2, when the assessment report on his suitability for probation is submitted.
Read the original TODAY report here.
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