Posted on 03/13/2023 6:05:52 PM PDT by marshmallow
NEW YORK – After a Delaware state representative introduced a bill to abrogate the privilege between priest and penitent relating to suspected child abuse or neglect, the Diocese of Wilmington has pushed back that the confidentiality of the sacrament is a “non-negotiable.”
“The Sacrament of Confession and its seal of confession is a fundamental aspect of the Church’s sacramental theology and practice,” the diocese said in a March 7 statement. “It is non-negotiable.”
No Catholic priest or bishop would ever break the seal of confession under any circumstances,” it added. “To do so would incur an automatic excommunication that could only be pardoned by the pope himself.”
The proposed bill, HB 74, was proposed by state Democratic Representative Eric Morrison on March 2. If eventually passed, it would amend Title 16 of the Delaware Code relating to mandatory reporting of child abuse.
Morrison did not return a Crux request for comment on the bill.
The Diocese of Wilmington covers the city of Wilmington and the counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex in the State of Delaware, as well as the counties of Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester in Maryland.
The diocese has a Catholic population of 246,476, according to the diocese. It also has a history of clergy sex abuse. In 2011 it settled 142 claims of clergy sex abuse for $77 million dollars. The settlement came after it filed for bankruptcy in 2009 because of mounting claims that dated back to the 1950s.
(Excerpt) Read more at cruxnow.com ...
How do these people figure that such a law will produce anything other than to stop confession from happening as people become afraid to go. Or maybe that is the point of it. It is one way to knock a chink out of the Church.
For those holding the “seal of the confessional is sacred,” do remember that both Augustine of Hippo and Patrick of Ireland had confessors who spilled the beans.
For those holding the “seal of the confessional is sacred,” do remember that both Augustine of Hippo and Patrick of Ireland had confessors who spilled the beans.
Trying to turn priests into snitches.
The silence of the confessional needs to remain absolute.
The preist may state the seal of the confessional is sacred but bet money on the FBI/DOJ not giving a shit &trying to wire the church for sound & video!
This is easy to fix. Set it up so there is no way for the priest to identify the confessor. No light or blindfolded priest and altered voice. It’s doable...
1) Deter confession
2) Go after priests
The Diocese of Wilmington is Biden’s home diocese. It rolls out the red carpet for the apostate and welcomes him to Holy Communion.
He is the ultimate child abuser: by murdering them. But the diocese seems to have no problem with him.
Good.
Your argument is dumb. Its like the gun control argument against the 2nd Amendment. Somehow and evil person with guns abrogates the right of the 2nd Amendment.
You make a good argument, I hope it doesn't come to that and I'm not even Catholic.
It will not help any child as the criminals will stop confessing.
But, it is another step to damage/destroy the Church.
1 Jn 1:9
Confessions from all sorts of people will decline rapidly as lack of secrecy in one instance implies that there is no secrecy. People will not want to tell their sins in effect publicly.
Are they worried that they’ll get subpoenaed to testify about the Biden’s confessions?
Would Jesus have been silent?
When one can use a priest to ease one’s conscience of terrible actions, the priest isn’t a emissary of God, the priest is a enabling comforter of Evil.
You put too much stake in fallible humans - even calling them “Father” in contradiction to the One Father in heaven.
We will not be judged on how much...or how little...time we spent in prison. We'll be judged on our actions.
Indeed.
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