Breaking the seal of confession, exceptions?

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I am a cradle Catholic. As far as I was taught, the answer is no. The Seal of Confession is not a legal matter but Sacramental. The priest is not to tell what his penitents confessed to him. Period. It is unlike, say, the Kennedy’s assasination file, which can be disclosed to the public after a certain number of years after his death.

Another thing. I was also taught that we cannot reveal what we confessed to a third person too.
 
Reuben_J said:
Another thing. I was also taught that we cannot reveal what we confessed to a third person too.
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That is a tradition in some families, but there is nothing in canon law or Church teaching that prohibits you from telling your sins to anyone you want.

But most people would probably prefer NOT to hear the sins you confessed, so it’d be an act of charity to refrain. 😊
 
A priest who would break the seal of confession would be defrocked. It would be a horrible sin, and here is why, if priests revealed what was said in confessions, then people would be afraid to confess, possibly causing people to go to hell needlessly.
 
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My understanding is that that not only can’t the priest reveal what was said in confession, he cannot even tell someone else that you went to confession.
 
I’ve decided to work around the issue. Not from the perspective of a loophole, but rather the penitent gives him a sealed letter during the confession to give to someone else.

Justification being that since the letter was sealed, the contents are unknown to the priest and therefore not protected under the seal of confession.
 
As far as the story goes, it will be a deathbed confession, so everyone present in the home will know that a priest came.

That brings up another interesting question…what if the penitent is too ill or unable to speak?
 
@JamesV

Yeah I was talking in more general terms about confession. However even in the case that you describe above I don’t think that the priest can say that the person went to confession.

In the case of someone too sick to make his confession then the priest can administer the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick which was previously called “ Extreme Unction “. This sacrament is based upon James 5:14-15. Generally it is preferred that the person confess before receiving the Anointing of the Sick but it is not required in the situation that you describe.

How the Anointing was administered/understood has changed over the centuries and I don’t recall the understanding of the sacrament in the time period that you are interested in.

Blessings
 
At the deathbed, or in very grave illness where death is a possibility, some people may be able to give the slightest movement or make a small sound - but, we know that if there is consciousness that the Holy Spirit will recognize the repentance even if we mortals cannot. The priest is able give the Apostolic Pardon to the dying. It is a great blessing.
 
The mental image that I had for that deathbed confession was that the priest and the penitent did have privacy, not like there were a half dozen family members sitting at the bedside or anything.
 
Unfortunately, my last 2 Priests were very bad Priests when it came to this. The Priest would used the content of the confession in his homily.

The most recent was about a year ago. My wife went into Confession prior to Mass. The Priest used that content in the Homily during that Mass. My wife was horrified. My wife told me what happened as soon as it happened. It took all the will power I could muster to not get out of my seat and walk up to the Sanctuary and begin pummeling the Devil out of that Priest. I would have gladly gone to jail that day. Instead I waged a campaign against that Priest with the Parish and the Diocese. He is no longer acting in the capacity of Priest. He has been placed in Medical Retirement. He shall do no more harm.

I place a Priest that breaks the Seal of the Confessional in the same Class as those that commit Sexual Assault.
 
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@JamesV

Yeah the priest would have everyone leave while he heard the confession. No one else could be there.

Blessings
 
Let me assure you, the fictional priest I’m “creating” may have a few character flaws, but he will not be violating church doctrine.
 
There could be 57 people crowded around the bedside, would not impact the validity of the confession.
 
The priest MAY have everyone leave the room. If Uncle Joe is able to communicate and he wants the family to stay in the room, that will be Uncle Joe’s choice.
 
I believe Anne Bolyen did something like that when she made her last confession before her execution
 
While not a last confession, I am always moved to tears by the account of St. Damien making his confession by shouting from his small boat to the priest on the big ship while surrounded by people on the beach and in other boats. If he can do that, the least I can do is show up on a Saturday afternoon, right?
 
TheLittleLady said:
The priest MAY have everyone leave the room. If Uncle Joe is able to communicate and he wants the family to stay in the room, that will be Uncle Joe’s choice.
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I stand corrected. Thank you.

I note that everyone present must maintain secrecy of the sins. This per the Code of Canon Law.

@JamesV

Sorry for my error.
 
No worries…While I haven’t quite decided on all of the finer details of the scene, I plan to write it in such a way where the seal is not broken…not even to the reader 😉
 
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