Vatican leader slams Irish government’s confessional law as absurd

One must wonder what those who stridently support protecting the horrible secrets of the confessional fear - That they will be outed also? At least in eg Belgium the police broke down doors to get to the records of horrible abuse in the church. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/10/belgium-child-abuse-catholic-church

One would think the pope's name would have been a message from God to the cardinals to appoint some decent man Pope Just say it out loud and thikn of when and where the pope was born and grew up. RATZI-nger .

to Irishjule To me and so many others, the right to practice a religion filled with child abuse is not a religion. It is a cult of insanity. It reminds me of the Mafioso's code of silence- Omerta. I'd be glad to pay more taxes to help Ireland build more prisons. A way to clean out the filth that actually emanates from the vatican. BTW until about 1000AD priests were allowed to marry and of course have sex. The church changed that to marry priests to the church. Both for absolutist control, and for the church to inherit the priests property. I think this tells it all. Any wonder the whole western world is leaving the church. In France by the churches own admission, only 15% of the catholics go to church on any but the most important holidays. (source EWTN catholic TV show in the USA) A report on Spain and the popes trip there said only 13% are active catholics. And warned parents to protect their children from the church of the endless hidden molestation of children. My whole extended family, 43 people, with only a couple exceptions (old folks too set in their ways) has left the church. It is beyond hope, beyond grace etc. It is the personification of the devil himself And the almost untold story is how many kids were driven to suicide by the priests who raped them, and then terrified the children (boys AND GIRLS) with threats of hell everlasting if the kids ratted out the priests. Is that how the church protects the lives of our children?

Priests take a solemn OATH to NEVER, NEVER, EVER reveal what is told to them in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They are willing to die first. If they were to reveal a penitent's sin, they themselves would be commiting a very GRAVE sin and would be in danger of hell. It is not up to the government to interfere. This looks to me as another example of Catholics (and all Christians) not having the right to practice their religion.

In the newspaper The Saturday Age Melbourne July 30 2011, front page, there is an article 'Sex abuse by clergy led to 26 suicides,says policeman' The article refers to only two clerical abusers.These abusers would no doubt have been going to regular confession in the diocese of Ballarat and for years many priests knew of their activities,but they said nothing, including their superiors.In this case one of the senior priests of the area was FR Gerorge Pell of Ballarat.Pell went on to be a character witness for one of the abusers in court.The abuse went on, Pell in Now Cardinal George Pell of Sydney.Confidental confessions helped the men abuse. Many lives were lost and others ruined. See how it works?

Collette a Jewish school in Melbourne allowed a pedaphile teacher to escape to Israel by not reporting the felon to the authorities The Jewish misirah like the confessional are aberrations to protect the wrong doers.The Australian Governor General(A former Anglican bishop)resigned for allegedly not reporting abuse in the Anglican communion.There are over 1000 cases of abuse pending accusing the American boy scouts movement of abuse.Pedaphilia has no boundries.

The law of the land is the law no exceptions. It is really that simple.

seanomelbourne, the Jewish community including Rabbi's, have separated themseves from Rabbi Feldman who wants to deal with the abuse under his durisriction within the community. It's more than the RCC hierarchy and not just few faithful have done.

The protection of children is paramount all pedophilia should be reported to the authorities regardless of what profession it is reported in.To compare pedophilia priests with other disiplines seems to me to excuse bad behavior by wayward priests.

@LilPaddy.I was only saying how stupid the law was because I couldn't see how it could be enforced and I think BishopSean makes a good point too.Maybe I'm wrong but I could see how the confessional might come in handy to a pedophile.If he confessed to his boss in confession then he is protected by the seal of confession and moving a priest on is an easy option because he has to stick by the rules which eases his conscience.So you might have a point there.

the post by His Eminence raises an interesting legal and social point: who determines what conversations are private? Is 'private conversation' a right or a privelege? Is it revocable, or subject to modification or annulment; or, is it absolute? And, having reached agreement on these issues, who determines compliance; who determines how the application of the words should and/or are interpreted. These are serious questions, indeed, and, though am not often n the same side as the Chrch, I think 'the people' should give serious consideration to the implications of undoing the seal of confession.

I WILL WRITE THIS "IN CAPITALS" AS MY WAY OF SHOUTING AS LOUD AS I CAN, IN THE HOPE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE COMMENTERS BELOW WOULD JUST "LOOK FOR THE ANSWER IN SIMPLICITY".... BY SUPPORTING AN OUTRIGHT BANNING OF CONFESSIONAL(S)!! Just think about it; the use of "confession" by the criminal pedophiles who conned their way into the protection of a collar and cross, could then molest as many children as was available to them AND ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS "CONFESS", AND THE PRIEST WAS BOUND TO TOTAL SECRECY!! And that dear friends is how "pretender" priests (a.k.a. Pedophile Criminals) were just moved from one parish to another BECAUSE A "REAL PRIEST/BISHOP" COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT......NOTHING!!! Aren't we lucky that bank robbers and murderers don't have the same protection system with the F.B.I. and such.... END CONFESSIONALS.... PROBLEM SOLVED (at least with respect to "real" priests having the burden of knowing, but unable to tell). And just maybe we could stop describing pedophile criminals as something that they NEVER WERE, "PRIESTS".. Besides, a confessor would only need to confess directly to HIS God! LETS CLOSE THE BOX AND BURY IT...

In Australia all crimes against children are to be reported. The RCC,Anglican and jewish rabbi,s have pedaphilia charges laid against them they are the only groups who thumb their collective noses at the laws potecting children.

Good point BishopSean.This law IS absurd.Can't put up an argument in defense of this stupidity.Bit embarrassing it's coming from Ireland.How are they going to enforce a law like this.If they can't then it is a bad law.

Will Irish law concerning the turning in to the police of paedophiles also apply to psychologists, psychiatrists and lawyers?