So, did God declare that telling on a child molester is a mortal sin or did mortals who run the Church make that decision?
Per the Bible, there’s but one “mortal” (irredeemable) sin - to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
How many who think it’s sinful to take sexual predators off the streets would be as adamant if it were their own children who were molested?
Being the sick F***s they are, I can picture child molesters going into a confessional to gloat rather than repent.
They aren't even supposed to look carefully at the people waiting in line to confess. If you stand in a confessional line at a Catholic church before the priest arrives, you will probably notice that he makes no eye contact with anyone in the line and doesn't speak to them either.
If you confessed to Jesus, do you think that Jesus would go around telling (possibly malevolent) third parties what you had confessed? Of course not.
Oh, and incidentally, the same thing applies to any other Catholic who inadvertently hears another person’s sacramental confession.
That would be a waste of everyone's time, of course. The priest would refuse absolution and tell them to get themselves right with God before they come back.
Whenever the state wants to increase their power or tie up loose areas where there is some barrier to their ultimate authority, they gin up some scenario where a child is in danger and show the old ladies to make them cry.
Generally, the priest doesn't even know who the confessor is but you're going to give more state control over religion "for the children"!
Buck up, we're in for a long haul and you can't start backing the state every time they come up with some emotional argument to get you in line.
But after they're done with us, they'll come for you. Absolutely, positively, guaranteed.
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist."
"Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist."
"Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew."
"Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me." -- Martin Niemöller