Regarding the Seal of Confession

[neophyte]

You also didn’t answer my second question; if I overhear a confession in Church, I’m placed under the seal by proxy even though I’m a laywoman. Would the same apply to any Catholic who read this diary?

YES!

 

[neophyte]

Now here is something else in regard to the Seal of Confession. One tells a sin to a Priest in the Confessional. He is bound to secrecy even if his life is threatened. Are you, the penitent, free to tell another of your sin?

Of course. The seal doesn’t bind the penitent himself, only those who hear (or overhear) the confession.

 

[OneSmallFlower]

No. No faithful priest would ever do such a thing. Of course, it’s always possible for anyone to break a law. However, this is the sort of thing that a faithful priest would never even consider doing.

I cannot stress that enough. This is the sort of thing that a priest would absolutely never do; not even consider it.

Absolutely yes. Anyone (repeat, anyone) who reads it would be absolutely bound by the Seal of Confession.

As far as the second priest goes, from his point of view, it would be exactly the same obligations that would apply if he heard the confession himself. He would be absolutely obligated to destroy it the moment he realized what he was reading.

Would they be able to confiscate it? That depends of course. Maybe they obtain a warrant for the book. However if they did it would still be privileged communication and absolutely protected by the Seal of Confession and all the legal protections that stem from it. So ultimately it would not be admissible in court.

Thank you; you’ve been very helpful.
-1SF

 

[Kielbasi]

Yes.

Even if the confession is simulated, the Seal applies. So even an imposter priest is still bound by the Seal.

(Simulated is not the same as theatrical acting or practice for religious ed purposes).

On an episode of the Simpsons, Smithers confesses to shooting Mr. Burns in a confessional manned by the Springfield police- who immediately pinched him for the crime.

I guess that would be a simulated confession, but would the Seal apply as Smithers said he wasn’t Catholic, so it wasn’t a sacrament?

I don’t think the confession would be allowed in a court of law in the United States, because of privilege laws, but how about specifically the Seal.

 

[FrDavid96]

On an episode of the Simpsons, Smithers confesses to shooting Mr. Burns in a confessional manned by the Springfield police- who immediately pinched him for the crime.

I guess that would be a simulated confession, but would the Seal apply as Smithers said he wasn’t Catholic, so it wasn’t a sacrament?

I don’t think the confession would be allowed in a court of law in the United States, because of privilege laws, but how about specifically the Seal.

I’m not quite sure I understand the questions. I haven’t seen the episode, for one thing.

A few points that might answer the questions:

1. The Seal of Confession applies only in a Catholic context. I know full well that other faiths have something (they think as) similar, but I cannot speak about their rules.
2. The situation seems to be one of an imposter priest (I am guessing a police officer taking the place of the priest in a confessional). That I can answer.

The Church is clear that even when the confession is simulated (ie an imposter priest) the Seal still applies because the penitent thinks that he is confessing to a real priest.

In a situation like that, the Church would defend the Seal in court and ultimately would prevail. I have no doubt.

This would be no different than a police officer pretending to be a public defender. He sits down with the accused, promises attorney-client privilege, gets an admission, then tries to testify against him. I’m quite certain that no court in the land would allow such a thing to be admitted in court.