MERGED: Regarding the seal of the confessional

[Bookcat]

Thanks for posting this link, Bookcat. I’d be interested in seeing what happened in that case. Did the priest refuse to tell the judge whether he heard a particular person’s confession?

I do not know the particular of that case…sorry. I imagine the Priest acted as he ought!

The other article there though gets into the general aspects of the seal:

catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0059.html

 

[Zooman77]

I was looking at the Sundance Film Festival site and saw this interesting movie-filmguide.sundance.org/film/13879/calvary. This movie revolves around a priest who hears the confession of someone who says that he will kill the priest in a weeks time. First of all, I can’t say I would see this movie when it comes out because it seems to have the potential for some offensive parts but without knowing much about it, it is hard to say. Secondly my question, In the trailer for the movie-youtube.com/watch?v=LGM5rq_vX4U it is clear that he has told people what he heard in confession. He doesn’t disclose the identity of the person because he doesn’t even know who the penitent is. I found this article-catholicexchange.com/can-priests-ever-reveal-what-is-said-in-confession. In the article it specifically states this-

If the penitent is not willing to cooperate, there are sometimes situations in which priests can find ways to help the authorities without revealing the content of a person’s confession. If a penitent has indicated, for example, that he fully intends to kill or harm Person X, a priest may be able to warn the police that Person X is in danger, but without fully explaining how he obtained this information. I personally know of a case in which police received a phone call from a priest, warning them that two teenaged sisters were in danger at that very moment. The police understood that the priest was not permitted to give them more specific information, and simply located the girls, notified their parents, and made sure they were protected. It is quite likely that some horrible crime was averted by this priest’s action, yet he did not violate the sacramental seal-in fact, nobody was really sure if he had learned the information in the confessional or in a confidential conversation outside of it. Once again, such collaboration between the authorities and the clergy happens more often than we may realize.

So with this understanding this would mean that the priest in the movie broke the seal of confession because he stated to the other priest that he was threatened in confession. Is my understanding correct? If he would have just stated that he was threatened but never said where he received the threat then he wouldn’t have done anything wrong, correct? I also found this from Father Z-wdtprs.com/blog/2011/11/quaeritur-priests-role-duty-when-someone-misuses-confession/. The person threatened to kill the priest and therefore committed a crime and the person really had no intention to confess sins. With this in mind does this affect whether the priest broke the seal or not?

 

[Jon_S_1]

I was looking at the Sundance Film Festival site and saw this interesting movie-filmguide.sundance.org/film/13879/calvary. This movie revolves around a priest who hears the confession of someone who says that he will kill the priest in a weeks time. First of all, I can’t say I would see this movie when it comes out because it seems to have the potential for some offensive parts but without knowing much about it, it is hard to say. Secondly my question, In the trailer for the movie-youtube.com/watch?v=LGM5rq_vX4U it is clear that he has told people what he heard in confession. He doesn’t disclose the identity of the person because he doesn’t even know who the penitent is. I found this article-catholicexchange.com/can-priests-ever-reveal-what-is-said-in-confession. In the article it specifically states this- So with this understanding this would mean that the priest in the movie broke the seal of confession because he stated to the other priest that he was threatened in confession. Is my understanding correct? If he would have just stated that he was threatened but never said where he received the threat then he wouldn’t have done anything wrong, correct? I also found this from Father Z-wdtprs.com/blog/2011/11/quaeritur-priests-role-duty-when-someone-misuses-confession/. The person threatened to kill the priest and therefore committed a crime and the person really had no intention to confess sins. With this in mind does this affect whether the priest broke the seal or not?

I don’t believe the seal of the confessional is broken if there is no name attached, or details that could lead someone to figure out who it was.

Canon 21 of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), binding on the whole Church, lays down the obligation of secrecy in the following words: “Let the priest absolutely beware that he does not by word or sign or by any manner whatever in any way betray the sinner: but if he should happen to need wiser counsel let him cautiously seek the same without any mention of person. For whoever shall dare to reveal a sin disclosed to him in the tribunal of penance we decree that he shall be not only deposed from the priestly office but that he shall also be sent into the confinement of a monastery to do perpetual penance”

So a priest generically saying… “Today’s culture is victims to pornography, we here it in the confessional all the time” is not breaking the seal but saying, "joe over there confessed xyz is breaking and something that could compromise, like "yesterday I heard seven confessions for adultery, and their were 10 people in line, well that compromises those people so that’s a breach.

So in your example I don’t really see how it was a break of the seal ?

 

[janeway529]

I watched the trailer and it looks like the priest is consulting his bishop, so I don’t think he’s broken the seal.

 

[FrDavid96]

I watched the trailer and it looks like the priest is consulting his bishop, so I don’t think he’s broken the seal.

I haven’t watched the trailer (yet) but I can address this in general terms:

The priest is able to consult another priest-confessor if/when he needs that other priest’s advice or counsel. The Seal of the Confession extends to that other priest.

Sometimes, this is necessary. It might happen if a priest does not have the faculties to absolve from a certain sin (like procured abortion) and he must consult the bishop or vicar general–this is stated clearly in canon law, so this isn’t just opinion or “how it’s taught”. It might happen if the priest does not understand what the penitent is saying (perhaps a language issue). It’s critical, so I’ll repeat it: the Seal of Confession applies to that second priest as much as it does to the first one. There’s also an obligation on the part of the first priest not to reveal (with the second priest) anything more than what’s absolutely necessary.

I usually don’t participate in “confession” threads, unless they deal strictly with the ritual or canonical aspects. Since this one is about a movie, not a real confession, I decided to post.

 

[jimkhong]

I’ve always been curious about another situation…

I know the priest cannot break the seal under any circumstances, and my question refers to civil law, not Church law.

Can a priest be prosecuted if he hears the confession of a serial killer? That is, assuming the serial killer is still loose and on the hunt.

I have been told that there was such a murder case which went to court and the judge agreed the priest is not obliged to share what he knew. But I do not know the details or where it took place, but I believe it was in US. Still hoping to stumble onto it one day.