Canon Law, Sharia Law, Other Traditions

[Hope1960]

Your comments about religous freedom for other groups is what I don’t understand.

There are laws and there are surely other religious faiths that have beliefs that could be infringed upon by the government, right?

 

[11101]

Once a priest, always a priest. Ordination confers an indelible mark on the soul. Even in Hell, he’s a priest.

Now, he might get defrocked for breaking the seal. But that is up to the chain of command.

 

[11101]

I think my comment deals with your concern fairly well.

 

[Hope1960]

This is a great question. Why would Catholicism get preferential treatment over any other religion? Aside from that, I don’t see a lot of practical advantage in keeping the secrets or identity of an active serial killer under a seal of any kind. Some people need to be taken off the streets. I wonder how many predators who were members of the clergy were shielded by the seal of confession. Does anyone have any numbers on that? It’s a heavy thing to ponder. We have to temper our religious freedoms with some basic common sense. When you see past the haze of held religious beliefs, hiding a serial killer or serial rapist is simply aiding and abetting a serious crime.

All the best

Well, I AM Catholic and am glad that our Confessions are confidential but if the Catholic Church is protected, where does it end? We aren’t the only religion in America.

 

[Sedona]

That’s a good point.

 

[Hope1960]

Point being, if you are trying to make the argument that priests refusing to do something, will be analogous to Muslims demanding to do something or Satanists demanding to do something illegal (with clear and direct victims of that action), then I don’t think your fears are warranted.

Ok, yeah, that’s what I was trying to say.