Hypothetical question re confessional seal

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Is a priest allowed to divulge your confession if you give him permission? What about after your death if (for example) you confessed to a crime that someone else was punished for?
 
I believe the answer is “no.”

I’m sure someone will know the cannon law for it though 🙂
 
If you give him permission - I would say, unquestionably, YES!

Maybe this one should go to “Ask an Apologist”.

Blessings,
Angel
 
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seagal:
Is a priest allowed to divulge your confession if you give him permission? What about after your death if (for example) you confessed to a crime that someone else was punished for?
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I don’t know for sure. I know many priests would not because what would happen if you changed your mind and denied that you gave permission? He would be in a serious heap of trouble. Most priests I have known intentionally forget who when and what so even after your death they would not remember. On top of that they cannot say anything that might harm you. And your reputation can be harmed even after your death. I don’t know of any that would in either case.
 
I would have to say no. The seal is absolute. Besides, it sounds like a good way to set up a priest for dismissal from the priesthood.

PF
 
Years ago, while a rookie local police officer, well actually it was a long time ago, 🙂 we had a series of robberies in the section of town that I worked in, a heavily Catholic area. I, in true rookie style, asked one the local priests, if anybody had confessed to the crimes.

The Priest, who had known me since a child fixed me with a withering glare and said, and I quote
: I guess you didn’t learn your catechism at all, did you? I can’t tell you even in a generic sense".

He later explained that in his view, since the confession was actually made to God, the Priest had no authority to say anything about it to anyone, even if it was not prohibited to do so.

So I would have to say no.
 
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palmas85:
Years ago, while a rookie local police officer, well actually it was a long time ago, 🙂 we had a series of robberies in the section of town that I worked in, a heavily Catholic area. I, in true rookie style, asked one the local priests, if anybody had confessed to the crimes.

The Priest, who had known me since a child fixed me with a withering glare and said, and I quote
: I guess you didn’t learn your catechism at all, did you? I can’t tell you even in a generic sense".

He later explained that in his view, since the confession was actually made to God, the Priest had no authority to say anything about it to anyone, even if it was not prohibited to do so.

So I would have to say no.
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Surprised he didn’t grab you by the ear and drag you into Church for remedial lessons. 😉
 
That’s question for Jimmy Akin or Fr. Vincent Serpa. My gut response is “no” but l’ll leave that up to the experts.
 
Several years ago the NY Post carried a story about a man who was released from state prison in New York for a crime he did not commit.
To make a long story short, this kid was convicted of a murder based on a description of the murderer that he fit. Trouble was the guy who did the actual murder confessed to a priest in the sacrament of confession. The preist turned out to be this kid’s pastor. For twenty years this priest visited this kid everyday, even talked him out of suicide several times.
Finally this guy died in a shoot out with the police and this priest went to Cardinal Egan to get permission to go to the police with this information. Cardinal Egan had to get permission from Rome to allow the priest to tell the police and ultimately a grand jury who the murderer was.
 
These are the relevant passages from Canon Law:
Can. 983 §1. The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any manner and for any reason.

§2. The interpreter, if there is one, and all others who in any way have knowledge of sins from confession are also obliged to observe secrecy.

Can. 984 §1. A confessor is prohibited completely from using knowledge acquired from confession to the detriment of the penitent even when any danger of revelation is excluded.

I would say “no”.

Even in the scenario presented in the original post, for the confessor to divulge information after the penitent’s death that would implicate the penitent and vindicate the wrongfully accused, this would not be allowed under Canon 984 §1. As for the situation in the previous post, I suppose the Pope (who is not necessarily subject to Canon Law) could make an exception. But since it was a story in the New York Post let’s just assume it was fictional 😉 .
 
Authors point to Saint Thomas Aquinas on this question of whether a priest may divulge material from a sacramental confession if released to do so by a penitent, in the absence of the possibility of any scandal which would adversely affect the sacrament.

See newadvent.org/summa/501104.htm
 
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cameron_lansing:
Authors point to Saint Thomas Aquinas on this question of whether a priest may divulge material from a sacramental confession if released to do so by a penitent, in the absence of the possibility of any scandal which would adversely affect the sacrament.

See newadvent.org/summa/501104.htm
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And I think that is where Br. Rich’s point comes in. If released by the penitent, the release would have to be public , so there is no element of deial, and the pentient publically declare what is to be released.

At that point, the element of scandal is removed and the priest could simply confirm what the penitent said and add no additional information. But would generally be, in no way be obligated to speak on the subject at all.
 
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WanderAimlessly:
I would have to say no. The seal is absolute. Besides, it sounds like a good way to set up a priest for dismissal from the priesthood.

PF
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REALLY good point. I hadn’t thought of that one.

Blessings,
Angel
 
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seagal:
Is a priest allowed to divulge your confession if you give him permission? What about after your death if (for example) you confessed to a crime that someone else was punished for?
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Absolutely & utterly not - to do so is utterly forbidden, even with the penitent’s leave: even if the penitent suggests it. There are no circumstances whatever in which even indirect divulging of anything said in confession is permitted. Any priest who directly violated the seal of confession would be punished with excommunication. Anyone knowing of such a violation would also be severely punished, if he did not report a priest whom he knew to be guilty of a such a thing. Breaking the seal is a major crime in Church law - it’s one of the worst things a priest could do​

It’s not even permissible to use knowledge obtained in a confession, not even for preaching against sins. Knowledge obtained in confessions is not the priest’s, because he hears it as Christ’s minister, not as a private individual.

Hope that answers your question 🙂 ##
 
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cameron_lansing:
Authors point to Saint Thomas Aquinas on this question of whether a priest may divulge material from a sacramental confession if released to do so by a penitent, in the absence of the possibility of any scandal which would adversely affect the sacrament.

See newadvent.org/summa/501104.htm
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St.Thomas was living 300 years before the Magisterium made clear that violation of the seal was completely forbidden, though. AFAIR, Clement VIII (1592-1605) was the first Pope to tighten up the rules governing this matter.​

FWIW 🙂 ##
 
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seagal:
Is a priest allowed to divulge your confession if you give him permission? What about after your death if (for example) you confessed to a crime that someone else was punished for?
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no, the priest cannot violate the seal of confession under any circumstances, including after death of the penitent. With your permission, if you instigate the conversation, he can counsel you on the topic of your confession outside the forum. but he cannot bring it up on his own.

this question was answered on AAA very recently.
 
Anyone knowing of such a violation would also be severely punished, if he did not report a priest whom he knew to be guilty of a such a thing.
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Source?
 
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Chatter163:
Source?
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IIRC it’s in D. Prumm, Theologia Moralis (1923), or possibly Slater, Moral Theology (1927). It may even be in the Code.​

I’ll check for you 🙂

I almost forgot - a Blessed Christmastide 🙂 ##
 
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