Bound by the Seal

It is the year 1888 in the idyllic southern French village of Sainte Victoire. Its pastor, Father Francis Montmoulin, is loved by his faithful parishioners and even grudgingly respected by the local anti-clericals.

Tragedy suddenly strikes, however, when a charitable old parishioner is brutally murdered under the priest’s own roof, and a large sum of money destined to build a hospital for the poor is stolen from her.

All the circumstantial evidence points to the innocent priest as the murderer and he becomes the prime suspect. However, Father Montmoulin knows through the confessional who the real culprit is. He is faced with a decision: either break the seal of confession or face shame, scandal and certain death at the guillotine.

This is an entirely revised and re-typeset version of “A Victim to the Seal of Confession”. The language has been updated to suit a modern readership.