The Diocese can maintain the Seal, and then must pay the price.
Telling the truth about what? She never said the priest or anybody else in the Church molested her. And the clergy in the confessional are not mandatory reporters. Who knows what he told her? And who knows exactly what she told him?
Maybe if the girl turns out to be lying or manipulated (which I think is the case) the diocese should sue her.
A Priest takes an Oath for Confession.If you go to confession and walk out whatever you said is dead.Father will pray for you.Sounds like a threat Fred.
“If it is her word against his, and he chooses not to give evidence — for whatever reason, good or bad — the jurors must decide that she is telling the truth.”
If the jury must decide that way, how come the diocese hasn’t been sued into oblivion long before this? That’s the part I don’t get. I’m not saying this particular case doesn’t have merit, or even that they are suing for monetary damages, but how come less reputable people haven’t done exactly that long ago or whenever this law changed to allow it?
Freegards
The standard of law....whatever that is, does NOT BREAK THE SACREDNESS of the CONFESSIONAL.....PERIOD.
A jury may disbelieve all or part of a witness' testimony, even if that witness is unopposed.
As a practical matter, the jury will be asking why no opposition. If it came to that, I would put the priest on the stand and lead him through the canon law on confessions. "So she can say anything at all - that she came to confession even if she didn't - that she told you something she never told you - and you are bound not to answer - cannot answer even if it costs you your life - "
The priest himself must maintain the seal. If I was a priest in this situation, I would rather pay the price here on earth than the price this would cost me in the hereafter.