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.
Holy crap, Batshit Crazy One!
If a priest doesn’t want to be compelled to follow an earthly law, then let the pries make that decision himself - don’t claim there’s something Holy about shielding a child molester from the law. In fact, if the priest believes that the confessor was honest and repentant, then by his own religious beliefs, the laws of man cannot harm him because he already has a place in Heaven.
Kind of like a class I had in a Catholic school way back when - a scenario had a driver in a situation where he had the option of killing a young child or an adult - the conditions would allow him to miss them both. per the instruction, it was better to kill the child who hadn’t time to do much sinning and save the adult in case that person wasn’t saved yet but might have a chance. Tell me that isn’t part of Catholic Theology.
I dare say it is you running on emotion instead of rational thinking because many of your beliefs are not in accordance with the Bible and therefore even the canons of your religion need to be taken on faith - only where God can stand up to any scrutiny, many religious teachings/belief cannot unless one has already had it ingrained to not seriously question his religion..