Irish priests say they will not reveal confession secrets

When they are threatened with possible prison, they will give up their vows pretty quickly. They gave up their vows to rape young boys, they gave up their vows to lie about it, and most of the ones that were proven guilty lied all the way to jail because they thought they knew that giving up their vows was preferable to going to jail.

@barneyjo.I always thought confession was a confession to God using a priest as a conduit so to speak.Absolution is given for past sins at that time.The slate is wiped clean and their is no conditions other then he/she try not to sin again.A priest believes God is the higher authority,absolution is given by God through the priest.At that point the sinner/ofender is in a state of grace and has no sin in the eyes of God.Making a mends for a sin is up to the sinner.If in ALL consience he can't bring himself/herself to be punished by the authorities.He is still in a state of grace and will only be judged on future sins in the eyes of God.God will decide not the Priest.The Priest has no authority to inform on the offender for past deeds because in the eyes of an ALL FORGIVEING God unlike us humans who are incapable of forgiving fully.In Gods eyes once an offender is sorry for his past deeds they don't exist.A priest cannot leak any information when it comes to a man's/women's personal conversation with God.That's my argument anyway.Sorry I don't have any bible quotes like some people here.I don't need the bible.I have a direct line to God himself he told me write this ;))

keneconnor, I don't think we are speaking about the same institution. It wasn't the church per se who stood across the path of Hitler, it was inividuals acting on their own conscience as decent human beings. You've been reading the wrong historical gaff, to whitewash the guilt of the establishment.

Hold on James - this may not be the case in all instances, referring to your claim of a massive infringement on religious freedom. I seem to recall that there is at least a suggestion that for the sacredotal seal of confession to apply, the penitent must make an abject, sincere and full confession. In the case where an abuser confessed his actions in the confessional to a priest who would grant absolution on the condition that the abuser should report his activities to the statutory authority. If the abuser did not meet that condition of absolution, then it has been suggested by others that the sacredotal seal would not apply and that the confessor would be free to inform on the activities of the abuser. If that is so ( and I dont claim that it is) then surely there is a protocol which could be applied!!

PolinDeB - Whilst there is much debate as to the relationship between the Vatican and Berlin during the Nazi era, consider the actions of Catholic clergy and laity against the Nazi's and to aid the Jews of Europe has been solidly documented (with, of course, those exceptions which are used as a stick to beat the Church to this day). Then consider the welcome given to Nazi's by Ireland during and especially after WWII - when there was no way NOT to know of the evils perpetrated by these animals. Returning to the issue at hand, while the atrocity of paedophilia perpetrated by any individual or group is odious and must be ended now, I cannot see how this massive infringement of religious freedom will prevent even one more case, or bring a single perpetrator to justice. Rather, it marks a dangerous infringement on civil rights in Ireland. One question - why wasn't this suggested to combat IRA terrorism in the last century?

To learn what the gov't. proposes to the Catholic Church is so very sad. I guess even psychiatrists and all other medical professionals and all lawyers have to report ALL the lunacy they encounter, too(?) Cannot the priest make "absolution" contingent upon a person confessing to authorities their crimes? I would certainly be the first one to sign up to drive ANY abuser to jail, regardless of his/her vocation...but don't tamper with confession unless you are prepared to break ALL areas of privacy.

At some point the representative body of a sovereign state is going to have to address the notion that God and the afterlife are very real entities to a majority of their citizens. And if they (the state) think that their "needs" are of greater value and should always trump that which God puts forth as valuable, then there is bound to be a major breakdown in this society. Most Christians will go to their grave (as during Roman times) than submit to a secular world that cares not about He who created them.

@PolinDeB.I might appear insane to a person who has experienced sexual abuse by a priest.Most people who suffer abuse of any description would think I'm insane on any emotional topic depending on THEIR abusive experience. But then how SANE are they after been abused.I'm happy to say I have never been abused in any way,shape or form.Nor am I a priest.The best part about not been abused in any way,shape or form is a person doesn't let emotions get in the way of been rational.Let me educate you a little bit.Most abusers have themselves been abused.FACT.I,m talking about all types of abuse.If you feel sorry for kids who are abuse victims and who now are emotionaly messed up in the head.Will you feel sorry for those same abused messed up kids who grow into abusive messed up adults?By the way been sexually abused by a parent has got to be 10 times worse then been abused by a priest.Been sexually abused by a parent and hit with a hammer is 10 times worse again.As I said any church authority who moves on a pedophile without reporting him should be held accountable.

@advocate - Jaysus! Stop with the Yahweh - that is all I heard my entire life, and I am sick of it - the issue was not gay and lesbian marriage - do you have a reading comp problem? If a priest is guilty of abusing a child, then the priest to whom they confess should face them openly, chastise them, don't coddle them, regardless of the secrecy of confession, not necessarily report them (seems to me that this is objectionable to so many idiots), at least let them know that they are being watched by one person! Children are at stake, lives are at stake, if not only now, but the future, I know! It can ruin everything. Look at what happened in Brooklyn in the Jewish-isolated community of Borough park this past week. Was this guy protected by the Shomrim who could have known he was a child abuser/molester? They are not allowed to tell the police!

@Wingeire1 I know.. all these about sacredness of confession obviously didn't pay attention in religion class.. if your not genuinely sorry the oath doesn't count. If your genuinely sorry you will turn yourself into police and go from there...

@keneconnor Emm.. the Vatican actually supported Hitler or at least ignored his faults.. they've apologised for that one already... .. sorry... but ... yeah.. not great reputation from the Nazi era..

@sirpeter Are you insane? Do you know what Sexual Abuse does to a child? -"equally as destructive mentally as what a pedophile" - or are you a catholic priest because that is sure a hell the mentality that let this happen for so long.

Well, who better than the Irish to set a precedent.

The seal of confession is of benefit to the quality of society as a whole.Nothing is to be gained by society if a person with problems feels they can't talk or get advice in strict confidence.Child abuse comes in many many forms and plenty equally as destructive mentally as what a pedophile does.Changes need to be made in all churches.If a pedophile is abusing his kids is he going to risk losing his kids if he could be reported.I think not.Still any church authority who moves on a pedophile without reporting him should be held accountable.

It is sickening to me that we Irish have lost our Catholic faith to chase money just like everyone else in Europe. Now hilariously we have even lost the money that we left God to pursue. Now angry at the church we are set about to persecute her, Unreal. “[As a] lover of freedom, when the (Nazi) revolution came, I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but no, the universities were immediately silenced. "Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers, whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks... "Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration for it because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual and moral freedom. I am forced to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly” -- Albert Einstein, cited by Wilhelm Niemoller in Kampi und Zeugnis der bekennenden Kirche — Struggle and Testimony of the Confessing Church, p. 526. and Cochrane.