Am I an accomplice?

[JSSebastianoP]

Let me start off by explaining. I’m a teenager. I went for a job application for a part-time summer job, and some of the other kids (presumably under 18 since they talked about “getting caught by the cops”) there were talking about having engaged in sexual intercourse over lunch like it was no big deal… Needless to say, I was shocked. My question is, do I have a moral obligation to turn them into the police and am I considered an accomplice by staying quiet? I never thought about it until now (it was a month and a half ago)… I don’t know quite what to do…

Pax.

 

[1ke]

No, you do not have such an obligation.

You are not an accomplice to their activities.

Do you, by chance, tend towards scrupulosity? If so, talk to your spiritual advisor about it.

 

[JSSebastianoP]

No, you do not have such an obligation.

You are not an accomplice to their activities.

Do you, by chance, tend towards scrupulosity? If so, talk to your spiritual advisor about it.

Yes. I do - very much so. It becomes a real problem for me since I sometimes don’t get to the confessional so I end up not recieving more than I end up recieving. I’ll try to talk to him about it… How did you guess by the way?

Thank you very much for your advice.

Pax.

 

[StJoan_ismygal]

Probably the clue was that sex between teenagers is not illegal, so what would be the point of calling the cops? It was probably that reaction on your part that clued in 1ke to your scrupulosity.

 

[JSSebastianoP]

Probably the clue was that sex between teenagers is not illegal, so what would be the point of calling the cops? It was probably that reaction on your part that clued in 1ke to your scrupulosity.

Isn’t it illegal though? I thought that the age of consent was 18…

Pax.

 

[StJoan_ismygal]

It’s illegal for a person over the age of consent to have sex with a minor. It’s not illegal for two minors to have sex with each other, as far as I know…

And in most jurisdictions, good luck getting an adult prosecuted for statutory rape, anyway.

In any case, you were not a party to their actions in any way. You didn’t know it was going on, you have no power to stop them, and you didn’t help them accomplish their illicit activity in any way. You are not an accomplice. Be at peace.

 

[1ke]

Yes. I do - very much so. It becomes a real problem for me since I sometimes don’t get to the confessional so I end up not recieving more than I end up recieving. I’ll try to talk to him about it… How did you guess by the way?

Thank you very much for your advice.

Pax.

The fact that you immediately thought you were an accomplice merely by overhearing a conversation was the first sign.

That you were still concerned about this 1.5 months after the incident is the second.

That you feel compelled to take action like actually calling the police over part of a conversation that you overheard, that’s the third.

 

[tjm190]

In most states, they aren’t committing a crime.

 

[1ke]

Isn’t it illegal though? I thought that the age of consent was 18…

Pax.

The age of consent and laws surrounding the legality/illegality of such activities vary from state to state. It’s not really important. You lack facts to go on. You probably don’t even know who these kids were. You cannot call the police to report a crime that you do not know actually occurred. You don’t know when, where, what, with whom, etc. You merely overheard some kids talking. They could have even made it all up-- talking big in front of others.

Sounds more likely they were concerned about getting caught for something surrounding the escapade-- like truancy, maybe parking somewhere illegal, drinking or something. Who knows.

The bottom line is that you are in no way an accomplice. You don’t even know these people.

 

[Secret_Square]

Another indication that you might be scrupulous were your recent posts on another CA thread concerning the possibility that women wearing pants to Mass might be considered cross dressing, and therefore be a “manifest grave sin” warranting denial of Communion to any woman so attired.

Although the thread was prompted by a story about a priest in the Phillippines who forbids women to wear pants to Mass in his parish and denies them Communion if they do, I would say the interpretation you gave seemed rather extreme.

However, now that you admit your difficulties I can see you were sincere and not just trying to be holier than thou or “more Catholic than the pope.” These are serious concerns to you even if they seem silly to others. Please do not be so hard on yourself.

If you have a good spiritual director, rely on his advice and don’t second-guess yourself. As you mature you should get a better handle on this problem. I used to be rather scrupulous myself about some things when I was your age. Hang in there and remember that God loves you more than you can possibly imagine.

 

[JSSebastianoP]

Another indication that you might be scrupulous were your recent posts on another CA thread concerning the possibility that women wearing pants to Mass might be considered cross dressing, and therefore be a “manifest grave sin” warranting denial of Communion to any woman so attired.

Although the thread was prompted by a story about a priest in the Phillippines who forbids women to wear pants to Mass in his parish and denies them Communion if they do, I would say the interpretation you gave seemed rather extreme.

However, now that you admit your difficulties I can see you were sincere and not just trying to be holier than thou or “more Catholic than the pope.” These are serious concerns to you even if they seem silly to others. Please do not be so hard on yourself.

If you have a good spiritual director, rely on his advice and don’t second-guess yourself. As you mature you should get a better handle on this problem. I used to be rather scrupulous myself about some things when I was your age. Hang in there and remember that God loves you more than you can possibly imagine.

Thank you for your kind answer. Yes, I do see lots of things as having the potential for sin, even if not always being thus. It is perhaps one of the downsides of overscrupulosity…

Pax.

 

[Texan77]

It’s illegal for a person over the age of consent to have sex with a minor. It’s not illegal for two minors to have sex with each other, as far as I know…

Actually if both parties are under the age of consent then they are engaging in illegal behavior - the court cases that are brought forward are always quite interesting

In regards to calling the police - I do not believe that a non parent can press charges