Posted on 07/08/2014 2:14:18 PM PDT by NYer
From NOLA.com:
The Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge has issued a statement decrying a decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court that could compel a local priest to testify in court about confessions he might have received. The alleged confessions, according to legal documents, were made to the priest by a minor girl regarding possible sexual abuse perpetrated by another church parishioner.
The statement, published Monday (July 7) on the diocese’s website, said forcing such testimony “attacks the seal of confession,” a sacrament that “cuts to the core of the Catholic faith.”
The statement refers to a lawsuit naming the Rev. Jeff Bayhi and the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge as defendants and compels Bayhi to testify whether or not there were confessions “and, if so, what the contents of any such confessions were.”
“A foundational doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church for thousands of years mandates that the seal of confession is absolute and inviolable,” the statement says. ”The position of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and Fr. Bayhi is that the Supreme Court of Louisiana has run afoul of the constitutional rights of both the Church and the priest, more particularly, has violated the Establishment Clause and the separation of Church and State under the first amendment.”
The state high court’s decision, rendered in May of this year, demands that a hearing be held in 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge, where the suit originated, to determine whether or not a confession was made. It reverses an earlier decision by the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals dismissing the original lawsuit filed against Bayhi and the diocese.
The case stems from a claim by parents of a minor that their daughter confessed to Bayhi during the sacrament of reconciliation that she engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with grown man who also attended their church. Court documents indicate the child was 12 years old at the time of the alleged sexual abuse.
A criminal investigation by East Feliciana Sheriff’s Office into the alleged sexual abuse was ongoing when the accused church member died suddenly in February 2009 of a heart attack.
The civil lawsuit in question, filed five months later in July 2009, names the late sexual abuse suspect, as well as Bayhi and the Baton Rouge diocese, as defendants. The suit seeks damages suffered as a result of the sexual abuse, noting that abuse continued following the alleged confessions.
Applause!
Their patron demon is Placido Calles, the now long dead Mexican secularist dictator against whom the Cristeros rebelled. Are you aware that the actual film footage of the martyrdom of Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J. is shown at the end of For Greater Glory as the ending credits roll?
As the firing squad drew down on him, he defiantly shouted: Viva Cristo Rey!
Former Mexican dictator Alvaro Obregon was targeted for asassination in the summer of 1928 after he was elected to return to office as Mexican president. Blessed Miguel Pro and his brother Humberto Pro were innocent but executed by firing squad in November, 1927, ostensibly for playing a role in plotting the assassination of Obregon. The direct result of these executions was that Jose de Leon Toral, a close friend of the Pro brothers, entered a restaurant where president-elect Obregon was being honored, drew a likeness of Obregon and then pulled a pistol and executed Obregon. Jose de Leon Toral pled guilty and was executed in 1929 shouting defiantly: Viva Cristo Rey!
May God bless you and yours and all that you do here!
Outstanding!
Thanks for the info and the insights. I learn something new every day.
I don’t mind.
Fortunately, you will have nothing to say about it; no priest will break a sacramental vow of confidentiality; Fr. Jeff Bayhi is not a criminal; and he's got Jesus Christ Our Lord: you can keep your d-mn Easter Bunny.
Bless you 10,000 times.
I am not sure why this girl did not go to her own parents, a teacher or someone outside the Church? That's what makes this whole thing shady in my view. Someone might be trying to get paid. OR she was a willing participant.
What BlackElk said.
Moreover, "strict scrutiny" doesn't mean what you say it means, and "compelling interest" is not a fishing license for the State or for any civil litigator looking for a deep pocket (which appears to be the case here).
Going after the priest in this case is absurd in any event, because the victim is available to testify. But see deep pocket, supra.
I don’t get it either. And that’s just stuff about the crime, I’d like to know why this hasn’t happened before if this is actually the way the law works in LA and other places. I mean forget about this case, why hasn’t the Church been sued into oblivion when someone divulges that something was known/said in confession that then led to something actionable against the diocese? The priests can’t even confirm they heard a particular confession much less what was said, so how can they ever defend themselves? Seems like it all would have been hashed out before 2014.
FReegards
A goobermint law that forces Catholic priests to violate the sanctity of the confessional in order to report hearsay to law enforcement ?
This doesn’t sound remotely rational.
The priest could (and should) certainly encourage the girl to go to the authorities. He should definitely do everything in his power to insure and prevent such perps from repeating such crimes - short of violating the confessional.
An unjust law is NO law. A priest is not a paid informer for law enforcement.
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