I don’t know the details regarding the confession by Willis to the pastor. In almost all instances of true confession, I’d be on the side of the confidentiality of the confessional.
Just talking to your pastor is not “the confessional”.
The whole point of an exception is that it must be in regard to a religious moment taking place at that time in the life of the confessee.
I don’t consider discussing baseball scores, also a conversation be pastor and parishioner, to be confidential.
Nor will I consider confidential anything about a crime that one PLANS to commit that will potential injure someone. I tell them that ahead of time. Both the penitent and I have a duty to prevent that injury from taking place.
It is entirely possible that Willis came to his pastor in a religious moment seeking guidance. That is something I would consider absolutely confidential.
If a discussion is about how to keep it from coming out in public, then I don’t consider that religious.
In most states clergy (along with doctors, therapists, etc.) are classified as mandated reporters when it comes to child abuse. The protection of the minor trumps the clergy-confessor relationship.
True, and as Protestant Christians confessing a sin does not mean you get off scott free, you still need to make amends or answer to justice. When a serious crime is committed the pastor should council the person to give himself up and confess to the police then do it himself if this person does not turn himself in.
He needs to not just shepherd this one man but his flock and the community as a whole from further damage or danger.
Seriously?
So a guy comes to you and says, “I have raped my babysitter and would like to confess this sin.”
To you, the pastor should keep it confidential?
And what if he comes back the next week with the exact same confession because he did it again?
Do you at least have a 3 strikes you’re out policy when it comes to child molestation? Or in your view could this guy go on indefinitely?