Ping!
He really wouldn’t have any choice. If it’s a “choice” between breaking the seal of confession and betraying his office as a priest in the worst possible way, or going to jail, then his only option as a Catholic priest is to go to jail.
Is a lawyer allowed to break client-lawyer privilege if his client admits to a felony or other crime?
Look thru local news feeds any day of the week and you'll find teachers, social workers, pastors, youth ministers, etc. who have been caught molesting children (children, not teenagers), but that doesn't get focused on because trying to solve the problem by putting appropriate measures in place isn't the goal. The goal is to undermine and destroy Christianity.
Since the so called victim has broken the silence and now wants revenge on the priest why can`t the priest stand on the fifth amendment?
When this was discussed on EWTN, the Hitchcock film, “I Confess” - interesting.
The priest, in all probability, instructed the girl as how to handle the problem...told her to tell her mother, teacher, friend, anyone....even another priest outside the confessional. It certainly is a sad situation
IT will be very hard to convict the priest of anythng....the girl did not see the person that she was confessing to.....that was usually the case until recent years when you sometimes sit face to face....(not me!!!!)
Going to jail is better than losing his Sacrament of Holy Orders and/or going to hell.