Did the Catholic church kick out teenage blogger Amos Yee or did he leave the church voluntarily?

TODAY article on May 8. left us confused as we assumed that Yee was asked by the Catholic church to leave the religion.

Mothership.sg contacted the Catholic church and the reply was no.

Yee left the Catholic faith on his own accord and the Church respects his freedom to do so.

This was the full reply by the spokesperson from the Archdiocesan Communications Office:

"The Church is deeply saddened by the turn of events. Like Jesus the Good Shepherd, the Church seeks out the lost sheep, and extends the mercy and compassion of God to all, especially those who are wounded and suffering. 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. His decision to leave the Church was totally on his own accord. 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."

In the Catholic churches in Singapore, teenagers usually prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation at the age of 15 years old. At confirmation, the teenager receives special graces from the Holy Spirit that enable him/her to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and an evangeliser of the Catholic faith.

In other words, Yee left the Catholic church on his own accord when he was 15 years old. This was consistent with Yee's police statements when the 16-year old told them that he left the church in 2013.

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