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.
You win the Internet, no further discussion needed.
I am not Catholic.
Until recently I would have insisted strongly that the courts--that the government--have no business intruding into the practices of religion, but now--we can expect Muslims to invoke similar sanctions to hide terrorism and all sorts of evils and the courts to grant them.
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.
I hope he does go to jail. Not because I want to see him suffer, but because I applaud show-downs with the nanny state anywhere and everywhere.
Under Canon law, he is required to maintain the seal of confession even in the face of torture and death.
“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.”
Agreed.