[Mrs. Don-o]

A good priest, a bad priest, ANY priest a absolutely forbidden to reveal what is said in confession. Absolutely. I can't remember the name, but there was a canonized saint/martyr who was executed by some king for not revealing information that the king urgently wanted to know.

The priest can insist, using the strongest terms, that the person in the confessional should tell the authorities himself; but the priest cannot do so.

[MineralMan]

There is no Biblical support for the seal of the confessional. It is simply a doctrine of the RCC.

A poor case can be made for the Sacrament of Confession, but such a thing is not laid out specifically anywhere in the New Testament. The only passage that even comes close is one in John.

But, the seal of the confessional is purely a doctrinal issue, a tradition of the Catholic Church.

It is very, very unlikely that any law forcing priests to break the seal will be passed, nor would such a law be upheld by the justice system. That's just not going to happen.

Still, there is precedent for our government to override religious beliefs and practices. The case of polygyny in the early LDS church is a good example. A religious group could also not practice human sacrifice, even if it was part of their doctrine.

However, we have a long judicial history of allowing religious organizations to do things that would otherwise be prohibited. Animal sacrifices is one, and refusal to take oaths is another.

I do not see any circumstances where the seal of the confessional will be legislated out of existence.

[timsbella]

Per above I stand corrected. What I was trying to express in fewer words was a man of faith would try to bring the criminal to light and protect the child to the best of his ability, however, all that effort might be in vain because of the liberal courts in place.

[AnAmericanMother]

It was St. John Nepomucene (of Nepomuk), a Bohemian priest.

The cherub has his finger to his lips in token of silence.

Wenceslaus IV, Emperor of Bohemia, was a very jealous husband (and BTW without cause). He tried to force St. John to reveal what his wife, Queen Sophie, had said in confession. St. John refused, and the king had him tortured and then drowned in the Moldau River.

"The moment St John’s body touched the water, thousands of tiny stars encircled it and a fire burned on the river's surface. A stream of light issued from deep in the river, reflecting the glory of the martyr's soul. His body drifted slowly downstream throwing off rays of light in all directions. A 'troop of light,' followed the body, as if to represent a funeral procession. The whole city came alive with excitement and citizens gathered to see the spectacle, while the tyrant, terrified by the news, fled to a house in the country, forbidding any one to follow him."

Tomb of St. John Nepomuk