Posted on 08/09/2019 5:56:53 PM PDT by marshmallow
Bill proposed by a trio of Democrat state lawmakers would mandate priests violate the seal of confession in child sex-abuse cases.
MADISON, Wis. — Catholic priests would be required to report suspected child abuse or the sexual abuse of a minor based on information heard during the Sacrament of Penance under legislation proposed August 7th by a trio of Democrat state lawmakers.
Legislation introduced by Reps. Chris Taylor and Melissa Sargent of Madison, and Sen. Lena Taylor of Milwaukee, would eliminate protection that exists in state law for information priests hear solely “in a confessional setting” or that they or other clergy hear “solely through confidential communications.” Priests and other clergy are otherwise mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse under state law.
“It is time clergy become mandatory reporters of child abuse, including the sexual abuse of children, with no exceptions, no excuses,” Taylor said at a news conference at the Wisconsin State Capitol. She said the proposed Clergy Mandatory Reporter Act “ends this big loophole which has allowed the sexual abuse of children to be covered up, be perpetuated, to be not reported.”
A companion bill introduced Wednesday, the Child Victims Act, would eliminate the statute of limitations in civil law for victims of child sexual abuse. Currently, Wisconsin law allows victim-survivors to file civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers up through age 35. The proposal would remove that limit and give all victim-survivors a three-year window in which to file such litigation, no matter their age.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicworldreport.com ...
...or the free exercise thereof.
Doesn’t seem like it would be even close to being Constitutional.
Even if this wasn’t patently Unconstitutional, the hypothetical molesters moral enough to confess to a priest will no longer do so and then everybody else will be scared off because who knows what priests will be forced to tattle on next. So things are just worse for everybody all around. The definition of feeling good vs doing good.
And the door would be open for other crimes, heck now google can be subpoenaed for confessional testimony it “eavesdropped” on while the penitent had their cell phone in with them.
The only privilege contained in the constitution involves compulsion to testify against self. All the other privileges (to not testify) are either court invented or legislature invented.
The general function of privilege is to show respect for certain institutions. Marriage - to allow spouses to communicate openly was viewed as valuable to society. Similar with confession. similar with doctors. Similar with lawyers, although lawyers are obliged to disclose client’s intention repecting FUTURE plans.
Church and courts butting heads is an old tension. The law side will jail people if that’s what it takes to get the testimony.
https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/07/11/priest-could-be-jailed-for-refusing-to-break-seal-of-confession/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priest%E2%80%93penitent_privilege
Mandatory? They might as well be unpaid FBI agents or informants. The general public doesn’t have to talk to agents. I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would deal to a fed when a “lie” could be a felony
This is the same thing they did in the Soviet Union. The idea is to encourage people to snitch on each other as a means of dividing the people against each other, while the government increase control.
So if an agent thinks there has been a crime and he has a suspect, then go to his priest and pressure the priest into giving the story that agent wants. And what if the agent says that the priest was not truthful?
A similar bill got defeated in California with Catholics calling, sending written letters and emails, and encouraging their fellow Catholics to do the same. The response in CA was overwhelming and the lawmaker withdrew their ideas.
Repeat the process here. Jam their telephone and email lines, send tons of letters. It’s time to fight.
Compelling someone to testify is very dicey. It can backfire on the prosecutors if it looks like the witness was being pressured to lie for the prosecution.
So in this situation the priest could say that he doesn’t remember exactly what was said or he couldn’t hear well enough.
This whole thing is totally ridiculous if you’re not Catholic you don’t believe in confession anyways so since when is it so valid whatever a person tells a priest or the priest hears.
This whole thing is irrelevant again if you’re not Catholic you don’t believe in the whole conversation between a priest and anyone else as being so true so valid.
That’s the whole idea.
This should be pretty useless. A proper confessional booth has a screen between the priest and the penitent, So even if multiple people confess to raping kids, the priest should only be able to tell the police that ‘someone’ claims to be a child molester. He doesn’t know who is confessing.
Granted, I am aware that many confessionals are screwed up now that Vatican II has been around, but still.
This is not the purpose of the bill. They want to do set ups, fake penitents who come in and confess and then tell LE what they said. The priest can never defend himself and so, may be imprisoned. That is what the 'progressives' desire.
The problem is that under the law failing to turn someone in who has committed a crime is not an illegal act. It may be immoral but it is not a crime. It is only illegal if you know a crime will be committed.
Wrong. Failing to turn someone in can be considered obstruction of justice as knowledge of a crime committed without disclosure to authorities can be considered impeding an investigation.
Unless you are an obligated reporter or asked directly by police it is not illegal to withhold information. Certain statutes can make it illegal if it involves being part a of criminal enterprise. However if I know my friend robbed a bank I am under no duty to call the police. If I lie to the police for him or destroy evidence then that would be obstruction.
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