Allowing murder

[Hwy6]

I have a Christianity question.

If you are made aware of a murder, is it your Christian obligation to report and turn in the guilty?
To make matters more confusing, if the murder is committed by a family member, does love and protection of your family trump turning in the guilty.

This is stemming from a conversation based on the ending of a recent tv show.

Thanks ahead of time for any (name removed by moderator)ut on the matter.

 

[pigtown]

Just a thought - if you had a loved one who was murdered wouldn’t you want to know who committed the murder? If you know for sure that a person is guilty you would have an obligation to report what you know.

 

[JimG]

I have no idea what scenario you may have in mind. But in the criminal law, failure to disclose a crime would make you an accessory after the fact and subject you to prosecution.

If the disclosure is made to a priest in the sacrament of confession, the sacramental seal prevents him from ever disclosing it to anyone.

Any murderer who is repentant enough to go to confession, however, ought to be repentant enough to turn himself in, and smart enough NOT to go to confession face to face. That would in fact be a disservice to the priest.

 

[apromisemade]

I think Jim pretty much summed it up. You are committing a crime by witholding that kind of information from the authorities.