The correction of our brother especially when it regards priesthood is full of difficulties and dangers as nobody can be healed forcefully, against his will. That is why the priest must be a generous and courageous soul so that he may not despair for the salvation of the lost thinking permanently: `Maybe God will give them repentance to know the truth and escape from the devil`s trap.`
We the Christians, more than any other people are not allowed to correct the sinful forcefully. The judges have the freedom to use force against evildoers when they fall under the power of law; they impede them, against their will, to do any more harm. But we must not make the sinful kind by force but by conviction. Our laws did not grant us such freedom to impede those who sin. But even if we had been given this power, we still could not use it because God does not reward those who go away from evil by force, but only those who go away of it willingly.
Nobody can be healed by force and against his will.
If you behave more gently with a sinful who would need more severity and you don`t make a deep cut in the soul of the one who needs such a cut, then you made the cut but did not cut the evil. On the contrary, if you cut the evil without mercy, the sick, because of the pains, many times falls into despair and throws away everything, the medicine and bandage, he breaks the yoke, tears the bandages and gets lost. That is why the canon must not be given to the extent of the committed sins but according to the spiritual state of the sinful so that you would not cause more harm wishing to sew what is torn and to take up the fallen but making him fall lower instead.
Excerpt from About priesthood – Saint John Chrysostom, Sophia Publishing, via http://urcusspreinviere.ro
