Irish priests say they will not reveal confession secrets

David Quinn, if you ever read this, it may be unprecedented but what a precedent, and for Ireland to be the one making it. This will sit up there in the history books with The Great Famine, Easter Rising, War of Indepedence and all other historical land marks of this strong and resiliant country. Let's hope other countries follow suite.

Priests do not fall into the same catagory as doctors, lawyers and psychologists woodman. Priests represent a particular religious belief and are not subject to the same sanctity laws. Priests who don't report murders, rapists and other criminals are simply abetting the crime. Lock 'em up and throw away the keys. Even better, when Shariah law becomes the law of the land (when, not if) in Ireland then the dog-collard lads will see their sanctimonious havens collapse!

If woodman wants to name Fascists he should start with Rome and the passports issued to war criminals with the help of "opus Dei".

So what's next for the Irish fascists and swindlers in the Irish govt? Maybe the attorney client relationship? Make attorneys tell the state what their client told them in privacy How about the doctor patient relationship. Or what a patient said to a psychologist. Maybe stick their big noses into that too. You know it's all to protect the kiddies even thought they wouldn't act on reports of abuse for 50 years now they need to know what is said in confession.

"If the law says that sir, then the law's an ass, sir." Mr. Bumble. I agree that the confessional should trump the law and that the law should be enlightened enough to allow it to do so. I also implore the church to purge itself of the pathological celibacy thrust upon it by the Romans, which surely relieve pressure on the confessional.

McNamara3's point is well documented. When told by the priest in charge of "reforming" child molester priest in the USA (whose original mission was rehabilitating priests with drinking problems) that the sex offenders could not be rehabilitated and needed to be defrocked, the bishops of the church removed him from being in charge and put in a compliant layman. Then they consistently covered up the repeat offenses of the sex offender priests. Many years ago in my own parish school in NYC there was minor incidence of molestation done by a popular teaching brother. The pastor handled the situation well: he immediately removed the man, forced the order to expel him, and announced from the pulpit that the offender had been removed from any position in the church and was expelled from his order and the family advised to lodge a complaint with the police. The pastor explained that people with this problem needed our prayers and charity but that they could not be reformed and must be removed from any contact with children. He seemed to know that this problem is not reformable, probably relying on advice from the St. Luke Center. Of course we knew that he was strong bishop material (by education and abilities) but that his stands on this and other matters blackballed him from promotion.

This law is a mistake, and will lead to ludicrous situations. The government should break off relations with the Vatican until it apologizes and issues a mandate that ... 1. No pedophile can get absolution unless he turns himself into the police. ... 2. Any pedophile going to Confession will not be under the seal of confession unless he turns himself into the police. ... 3. At the start of every confession, these restrictions on pedophiles should be recited in as brief a form as possible. ... Under the proposed law about confession, can the priest arrested for keeping the seal of confession sue under that weird blasphemy law?

The confessional is an effront to civil law and only serves lawbreakers. all those priests upholding canon law return to Rome.All those Muslims who wish to uphold sharia law return to Mecca and all you Jews who practise the Misirah return to Palestine.

@Angelprecious - I merely make two points; 1)that priest abusers (a minority) have used the confessional for their own nefarious purposes (grooming child victims for example). 2) I have not seen a lot of discussion on the sacredotal privilege as it applies to those same abusers who in turn have granted absolution to other abusers and the validity of their ministry to do so!!

I have no problem with priests using the seal of confession to refuse to testify as long as they understand that they are going to prison if they refuse to testify. While we are at it, put all the pedophile priests in jail along with the bishops who are protecting them! I am so sick and tired of hearing about these bishops who think its ok to protect child abusers. To say nothing about the pedophile bishops!!!

Good post, PolinDeB...I did not know that about confession.

oneillhill... To date, the Vatican has paid close to 3 billion dollars in abuse claims in the US alone. Money that should have supported the parishes, schools, hospitals and missions that were essentially built by the legacy of devout Irish in America. If you take the time to read the grand jury reports and the writings from St Luke's Institute and of Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, the founder of The Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete (who handled abusing priests for the Vatican) you will clearly see the church knew of the "problem" early on, and was advised time and time again, that these child predators did not respond to therapy. Fr. Fitzgerald repeatedly reported to the Vatican these priests should be defrocked. When you say, "Does that seem fair to an innocent priest?" Vatican decisions made the vast amount of good priests have to work alongside predators. Can you imagine what that was like for them? And for your quote that some of the victim's were "just looking for a big payday" is quite sickening. This weekend maybe you will read the letters (on file @Boston Globe) from the good Catholic mothers of Boston who begged their bishops to help their abused children. Letters from mothers who never thought in their wildest dreams that their children would not be safe with a "Man of God." I applaud Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s stance and believe it is the right and moral position to take.

Luckily for the priests, the Sacredotal privilege of confession was a much discussed topic in my religion class as a young girl. Usually in the guise of someone confessing that they had poisoned the wine that the Priest was going to drink at mass. Basically, the theory goes that the penitent's secrets are only obliged to be kept if they make a good confession. Therefore in future, the Priests must inform any child abuser that they must turn themselves into the police. If they don't, then the penitent will be deemed to have made a insincere or bad confession and the priest is within his rights to disclose this matter to the police. So if they can protect themselves surely protecting children is no drama. I am sure Pope Benedict in his wisdom will ensure that this is clear to the Priests of Ireland. Which begs the question, if he doesn't does that mean he too will go to Jail? And if he isn't coming to Ireland next year is this why?

barney, hmmm, staffed by abusers. Even someone with a half of brain knows that the great majority of priests are good, holy men of God. Your bias is showing in a very unattractive manner! Institutional within the Church??? Hardly!

The confessional is canon law,sharia is religious law and thr Jewish "misirah" which forbids jews from naming other jews who break civil law, none of them have a place in our free society. The above religious practices only help criminals and give exceptional powers to the leaders of all the above religions.Now we might ponder on why a complete seperation of church and state is neccessary.