Seal of the Confessional

Message / Question

Dr Dave hope you don't mind me saying but when you have a viewpoint you seem to discard what people say when it doesn't agree with you... both in politics and religion... I think it's important to be "balanced" and to think about both sides – there are always 2 sides to an argument. I think OP was talking about the Seal of the Confessional, and priest-penitent privilege. I think the question was whether you think the state is above the church when it comes to the Seal?

Response

In my responses, I try to be balanced and logically coherent, however I am asked what I think about certain issues and I will answer with honest opinion.

You believe that OP was asking specifically about the Seal of the Confessional and priest-penitent privilege and whether the state is above the church when it comes to the Seal.

The “Seal of the Confessional” and “priest-penitent privilege” are certainly NOT Biblical terms – they come from one particular stream of Christian tradition, namely the Roman Catholic Church, so the issue is one of civil law rather than Biblical or Divine law. The law does afford SOME privilege to lawyers, clergy, doctors etc, but that privilege should and does come with limits. Let’s say for example, that a man goes to a Catholic priest in the confessional and tells the priest that he has a machine gun and is about to walk to the local hospital, where he knows that abortions are performed, and shoot every doctor and nurse that he can find. Should the priest preserve the “seal” or report the matter to police quickly in order to save the lives of many people. I realise that the priest may still argue for the “seal”, but for me it’s a no brainer – call the cops!!! The most common point of debate today, relates to child abuse. Should a priest who, in the confines of the confessional, becomes aware of child abuse, report the matter to the appropriate authorities? For some this is an issue of the “seal”, for others it’s to do with the greater good, for others it’s to do with the issue of mandatory reporting.

I believe that the State is above the church when it comes to the “seal” and there are certain laws that require certain information to be reported to appropriate authorities. Unless there are compelling reasons, the law must be obeyed (see my reply to “Breaking the Law”). If in an oppressive regime where Christians were being hunted and executed, I would NOT give details of names and addresses of my Christian friends and contacts – but I’m not sure that this would be a matter of “confidentiality” or simply the thing that most decent human beings would do for their friends.

I do have to say, that the answer is easier for a Protestant who has no “confessional” at stake, than for a Catholic whose religious practice and sacramental system is almost centred on the confessional.

See also article on confession to understand more of the non Catholic view of confession http://www.drdaves.website/#!Confession/c193z/5722c9900cf2d19e29728696