I spoke with a priest a long time ago and he made it clear that he was bound with the same laws that bound therapists. If I told him that I’m going to hurt or kill someone else, kill myself, or that I have (or will) abuse a child, then he had to go to the police.
That was his opening spiel for everyone.
Them’s the rules.
That is the way I understood it, too. The difference is in whether it is before or after the crime is committed. By law, they have to tell the police about any crime that is going to be committed before it happens. If they find out about it afterwards, the rules are different.
The sacramental seal is inviolable. Quoting Canon 983.1 of the Code of Canon Law, the Catechism states, "...It is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason" (No. 2490). A priest, therefore, cannot break the seal to save his own life, to protect his good name, to refute a false accusation, to save the life of another, to aid the course of justice (like reporting a crime), or to avert a public calamity. He cannot be compelled by law to disclose a person's confession or be bound by any oath he takes, e.g. as a witness in a court trial. A priest cannot reveal the contents of a confession either directly, by repeating the substance of what has been said, or indirectly, by some sign, suggestion, or action. A Decree from the Holy Office (Nov. 18, 1682) mandated that confessors are forbidden, even where there would be no revelation direct or indirect, to make any use of the knowledge obtained in the confession that would "displease" the penitent or reveal his identity.
nope them aren't