'Confession' of child abuse no longer secret?

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Nohome:
They can choose not to grant forgiveness or make it conditional (pending the offender turning themselves in).
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The priest can choose not to grant forgiveness but he can not make the forgiveness CONDITIONAL on anything. Once a penitent leaves the confessional, the sins are either forgiven or they are not.
vern humphrey:
I have been assured by a deacon (who may not know as much as he thinks he knows) that a priest cannot require a penetent to turn himself in.
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That is incorrect. A priest can not reveal ANYTHING that he has heard during a confession but a priest CAN require a penetent to turn himself in as part of his penance but, again, that can NOT be a CONDITION for granting absolution and if the penetent does not perform the penance assigned to him, there is nothing that the priest can do about it because absolution was either granted or not granted prior to the penetent leaving the confessional.
 
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Ortho:
Non-issue? I disagree. A 7-year-old is repeatedly being raped. What is the responsible thing for the priest to do?
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The responsible thing for the Priest would be to not break the Seal of Confession. This is part of his Vows. Most Priest would rather go to prision then to divulge what they heard in Confession.
 
Mommy of 3:
The responsible thing for the Priest would be to not break the Seal of Confession. This is part of his Vows. Most Priest would rather go to prision then to divulge what they heard in Confession.
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So, this priest is faced with saving a 7-year-old girl from repeated rape, or keeping quiet about what he learned in confession. Why is it responsible to do nothing to help the little girl? (Remember, the case says the priest can’t help the girl without revealing what he learned in confession.)
 
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Ortho:
So, this priest is faced with saving a 7-year-old girl from repeated rape, or keeping quiet about what he learned in confession. Why is it responsible to do nothing to help the little girl? (Remember, the case says the priest can’t help the girl without revealing what he learned in confession.)
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Can you read? No matter what he can not say to anyone what was said in Confession.
 
This is pure and simple it is the Part of the Sacrament of Confession. The Priest can not reveal anything, if he does he breaks his Vows.
 
There is no conditions whatsoever that should be put upon a Priest to reveal to Police or any other secular authority as to What was said during Confession. As some said earlier this should be a non-issue.
 
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Ortho:
So, this priest is faced with saving a 7-year-old girl from repeated rape, or keeping quiet about what he learned in confession. Why is it responsible to do nothing to help the little girl? (Remember, the case says the priest can’t help the girl without revealing what he learned in confession.)
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This very question regarding child abuse and confession was posed to Msgr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas and he gave a very detail reply … (I am para-pharsing here to save on typing) …

A priest can not use any information that he has learned during confession outside of confession even if it meant saying his own life. For example, if you were to come to me during confession and tell me that you poisoned the wine that I am about to use for mass, I am not permitted to do nothing with that information. During confession I can ask you to remove the poison but once I walk out of the confessional, I can not do anything with that information even if it means that I and everyone else present during mass is poisoned as a result. That is how absolute the seal of confession is.
 
Mommy of 3:
Can you read? No matter what he can not say to anyone what was said in Confession.
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I can indeed read, and I read that you think the reasonable action is to do nothing to keep the 7-year-old from being raped. Anyone else have any thoughts?
 
Mommy of 3:
This is pure and simple it is the Part of the Sacrament of Confession. The Priest can not reveal anything, if he does he breaks his Vows.
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Which is worse? Doing nothing to prevent the 7-year-old from being raped , or breaking the vows?
 
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kaymart:
There is no conditions whatsoever that should be put upon a Priest to reveal to Police or any other secular authority as to What was said during Confession. As some said earlier this should be a non-issue.
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If revealing what was learned in confession would save the 7-year-old from being raped, should the priest reveal it?
 
Sir Knight:
This very question regarding child abuse and confession was posed to Msgr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas and he gave a very detail reply … (I am para-pharsing here to save on typing) …

A priest can not use any information that he has learned during confession outside of confession even if it meant saying his own life. For example, if you were to come to me during confession and tell me that you poisoned the wine that I am about to use for mass, I am not permitted to do nothing with that information. During confession I can ask you to remove the poison but once I walk out of the confessional, I can not do anything with that information even if it means that I and everyone else present during mass is poisoned as a result. That is how absolute the seal of confession is.
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Is that reasonable? Why? Sounds to me like a guy who knowingly serves poisoned wine is a murderer.
 
As far as the 7 year old rape situation, if you knew that confessing a particular sin to a priest would land you in jail, would you confess it?

If I were in the priests shoes I would ask the man to confess regularly, maybe more than once a week. That he is confessing at all is probably a sign that he wishes to change. I would pray for him fervantly and request that he turn himself in.

The young lady would be well served in the short term, perhaps, by turning in the rapist. However the entire church is served by keeping the seal of confession in all circumstances, at least, that makes it easier for me to confess my sins.
 
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Ortho:
Is that reasonable?
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Yes.
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Ortho:
Why?
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Because it is a SACRED vow.
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Ortho:
Sounds to me like a guy who knowingly serves poisoned wine is a murderer.
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Sounds to me like you do not understand the things of God … For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9
 
Ortho, why do you take everything Catholic and put a secular spin on it. If you are interested in LEARNING not fighting with us, about matters of the Catholic Church. Trying reading about it, you claim you do but re-read because you don’t get it. Talk to a Priest, you don’t have to be Catholic, they will help you understand, if this is your true intention. But if the only reason your here is to argue about everything Catholic, you are just being childish. Our Faith is not open to debate. Many good people take the time here to give you reasons and understandings and you spin it into something else.
 
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Ortho:
Non-issue? I disagree. A 7-year-old is repeatedly being raped. What is the responsible thing for the priest to do?
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what the priest is required to do is to do absolutely nothing that would be construed as breaking the vow of silence.
 
Sir Knight:
Yes.

Because it is a SACRED vow.

Sounds to me like you do not understand the things of God … For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9
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Sounds to me like you don’t understand murder. Serving poisoned wine to folks is mass murder.
 
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kaymart:
Ortho, why do you take everything Catholic and put a secular spin on it. If you are interested in LEARNING not fighting with us, about matters of the Catholic Church. Trying reading about it, you claim you do but re-read because you don’t get it. Talk to a Priest, you don’t have to be Catholic, they will help you understand, if this is your true intention. But if the only reason your here is to argue about everything Catholic, you are just being childish. Our Faith is not open to debate. Many good people take the time here to give you reasons and understandings and you spin it into something else.
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The 7-year-old rape victim is in a very secular situation. Secular society tries to protect her from being raped, and most of us cooperate in that protection. Some do not.
 
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otm:
what the priest is required to do is to do absolutely nothing that would be construed as breaking the vow of silence.
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Does he have any requirement to save the 7-year-old rape victim?
 
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Ortho:
The 7-year-old rape victim is in a very secular situation. Secular society tries to protect her from being raped, and most of us cooperate in that protection. Some do not.
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I WILL SAY IT LOUDER —THE PRIEST TOOK SACARED VOWS HE CAN NOT BREAK THEM. NOT EVEN TO SAVE THE 7 YEAR OLD. THE PRIEST IS NOT HELD UP TO SECULAR LAW IN THIS CASE, ONLY GOD’S-----DO YOU GET IT?
 
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