Priest murder confession - any official statements?

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Hello!

From what I have understood reading other answers related to my question, a priest mustn’t tell anyone what one has confessed to him, even if it’s a murder or a plan on murdering.

Now, I got a question: if a person confesses to a priest, under the “official” confession rules, that they are planning on murdering the **priest they are confessing to, **does that give that priest the right to use the information for not being at home that day? Does that give the priest the right to tell someone, so the priest can save his life, without being punished by the Church for breaking the confession rules?

Post-scriptum: I know this situation is, if not absolutely, then extremely hypothetical and speculative, but I’m wondering if there are any written, official rules on a situation like this.
 
Is someone out to get you or something? Wait, you are not talking about yourself are you?

Since hypotheticals do not reflect reality, I find them to be sophomoric.
 
Robert1234 said:
Now, I got a question: if a person confesses to a priest, under the “official” confession rules, that they are planning on murdering the **priest they are confessing to, **does that give that priest the right to use the information for not being at home that day? Does that give the priest the right to tell someone, so the priest can save his life, without being punished by the Church for breaking the confession rules?
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Yes, the Priest could leave home and retreat to safety.

He could also go to the police and say that he has reason to believe someone has a plan and desire to murder him.

He cannot reveal the persons identity even if he knows it, but he could go and tell the police that his safety is in jeopardy and he has good reason to believe there will be an attempt made on his life.

This whole scenario and OP, however, I must add, is ludicrous. This thread will either die on the vine or turn into a divisive shouting match.
 
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No, it’s not me. I’m not a priest (or planning to kill anyone). Seeing that the Church is very strict regarding confessions, I was just wondering what would happen in a case like this.

Thank you for your answers, Spyiridon and po18guy.
 
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po18guy said:
Since hypotheticals do not reflect reality, I find them to be sophomoric
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I concur with this assessment.

I can’t think of a single time I’ve ever seen anything good or constructive come of these “moral theology hypothetical scenarios.”
 
This is an interesting question. Is a priest bound by the seal of confession in regard to a person stating FUTURE sins? I’ve never come across that before.

Certainly that priest ought to deny the person absolution and warn them that they are headed right for the fires of Hell with their disposition of presuming upon God’s mercy.
 
Canon Law stipulates that he may only tell Lt. Columbo.

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Well, from my point of view, it’s a big expectation, even from a priest (who’s a human being like everyone else, has feelings, aspirations and so on too), to think that, after he was told, for example, that he will be killed in one hour in his house, to expect from that priest, after this happened, not to do anything about that (except, obviously, talking with the person he got the confession from - but that can just not change anything) and act like he doesn’t know the information, not tell the police and even remain in his house, because he isn’t allowed (assuming that if he isn’t) to do anything because it was a confession and has to keep it secret…

In this case, I find it more than suited to give the priest the right to take actions. What actions? I will let those who are more into theology, know more about these things and want, if anyone does, to answer, having the fact that my opinions on this are more likely from an outsider, meaning that I don’t have much knowledge about detailed Church rules on which this subject is constructed and I don’t see any point in going on with this speculative situation more than I already have without being informed enough (info. I’m not free to get at the moment).

Thank you for the answers. It looks like there’s no official statement on a situation like this, which’s 100% normal, considering that it is, as I said before, speculative and highly improbable to happen (my opinion). I don’t see a discussion on it inutile, but that might be just me and my curiosity and pleasure to have a talk on strange things…

If anyone else wants, sure they can continue it.
 
That’s something else I was wondering and read a little online, but I found different answers.
 
Oh, really? Actually, I was thinking that this would be interesting to use in a movie/book, but didn’t know it really happened.
 
Haha, agree with many of the above posters. Just wanted to add, this scenario has come up before in Father Brown episodes, so it makes me laugh a little. I do love Father Brown and his crime-fighting! And he NEVER breaks the seal of the confessional.
 
Well, from what you said, it doesn’t sound like a confession, more like the person came into the confessional to threaten the person.
 
If I go into confession right before Mass and tell the priest that I put deadly poison in the chalice so he will die when he drinks it, he cannot even rush up and switch chalices.
 
Canon law says a couple of things on the subject. Two seem to be relevant here.

One, a priest cannot ‘betray’ a penitent in any way, either verbally or by gesture. Secondly, a priest cannot use information gained in the confessional to the detriment of the penitent.

The way I see it, calling the police, even without giving the person’s identity, would be using information to the person’s detriment, as the intent would be to have them apprehended.

‘Accidentally on purpose’ spilling a chalice that the priest knows to be poisoned doesn’t seem to fit either the definition of betrayal or detriment.

Mind you I’m not a theologian or Canon lawyer so I could be wrong.
 
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Canon law says that the confessor cannot betray the penitent. He could take steps to protect human life which did not betray the penitent.
 
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