Confession, Priests, and Civil Law

[naomi24]

This question resulted from another posted elsewhere.

Priests are required by the church to keep confessions confidential. However, if someone confesses to having committed a criminal offence, and subsequently reveals the priest’s knowledge of that crime to the police, can/would the priest be charged, under civil law, with concealing a crime, obstructing justice, withholding evidence, etc?

[Wharton]

A priest I knew, when giving tours of the chapel, used to describe the confessional as 'the fire escape', Father Pragmatic I think his name was.

[naomi24]

^^ :o)

[coccinelle]

My husband went to confession for the first time at 12. The priest related his confession to the family as he thought it so cute! That was the end of church for my husband...

[sandyRoe]

I find that very hard to believe. ^

[coccinelle]

It's true; it was a French priest.

[Mosaic]

Priests are human Sandy - the instance Coccinelle cites is a mild example (not mild to the child) - in the Franco era in Spain the local priest was usually an agent for shopping people to the government for 'misdemeanours'.
Many priests are very good people - but still people.

[birdie1971]

Sandy -

Why do you find it hard to believe that a priest would betray the trust that has been placed upon him? Surely you don't still believe that all members of the clergy are honourable men?

Since we live in an age where the clergy's hypocrisy has been laid bare for all to see as a result of innumerable sexual abuse scandals across the globe (which go right up to, and include, the current Pope), I find it difficult to understand your apparent incredulity at the suggestion.

[jomifl]

Sandy, I read your initial post as meaning that the priest is a self confessd criminal. Whilst I wouldn't dream of contradicting a 'man of god' I can't help thinking that that wasn't what you meant.

[mibn2cweus]

Some priests, it would seem, have a habit of sitting on the wrong side of the confessional . . . for all the good it does.

[goodlife]

There are two aspects to the concept—inherited sin and personal sinful behaviour. The first is something we possess, whether we like it or not, while the second is something we practice, and for someone to be spared such a destiny, the Catholic Church requires that sins be confessed to a priest, who they claim has the power to absolve them. However, for most Catholics, the rite of confession, absolution, and penance has become a thing of the past. A recent survey reveals, for example, that more than 60 percent of Catholics no longer go to confession.

[jomifl]

Goodlife, how on god's earth can anyone inherit sin especially a catholic as they get forgiven for everything.

[askyourgran]

Good point, I could never understand why my catholic friend could go to church and confess she'd been scrumping apples and raspberries from our neighbour's garden and be forgiven in church, while I got smacked legs from my mother. I wonder how many wrongs could have been righted had it not been for the confidentiality of the confessional or the priests' inablilty to break the code of silence.

[naomi24]

Inherited sin. A truly evil concept.