Should priests to break the seal of confession

[Dolt]

In Ireland the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Children are proposing a new law will require priests to break the seal of confession, if someone confesses to them the crime of paedophilia, then they have to report it to the police.
Would this work?

[sara3]

depends who the criminals are..

[welshlibranr]

Certainly, they should!...

[Dolt]

According to the Code of Canon Law, apriest who violates the seal of confession is subject to very sever consunsuce, but that's in their rules, bun now they are answerable to the state.
Eddie, you're right, in some cases I heard about the nuns we're enablers!

[boxtops]

what's sever consunsuce ?

[sandyRoe]

Boxtops, exiled to Craggy Island?

[hc4361]

It wouldn't work as people would simply stop confessing, or claim they were attention seeking.

Confessing and showing remorse is not enough to be absolved in the Catholic church. The priest will try to persuade the confessor to admit to his or her crimes and hand themselves in. The confessor must be willing to do penance and make amends. In cases such as paedophilia saying the rosary 10 times is never enough.

[RATTER15]

The paedophiles would just no longer tell the priest.

[DTCwordfan]

thats the pot calling itself black.

[sandyRoe]

How many paedophiles would actually confess? And how many would confess if they knew the priest was obliged by law to report them to the police?

[Carakeel]

Can't see this ever working! So lets see , the paedophile priests would confess to another priest (who may also be a paedophile)? I am not saying that all priests are, but this could well happen. These confessions would never be reported. The Catholic church always protects its own and I can't see them ever giving up the seal of confession for anyone!

[sandyRoe]

There's a book of remembrance in a church in NI which includes the name of Brendan Smith, a notorious paedophile priest. People are being invited to pray for him.

[Dolt]

Sandy, that's disgusting, that prick showed no remorse for what he did ,.
It makes me sick seen people still going to church a putting their pennies into the basket's

[paddywak]

Priest or not any body who knows of this type of crime being committed against children and does not inform the authorities is as guilty as the person who actually committed the crime.

[hc4361]

paddywak, and there ends confession and the chance for the priest to persuade the confessor to hand himself in.

[Old_Geezer]

If they do that then they won't be told anything in future. I don't see it working. And I can't imagine many cases where one could prove the sin was confessed and not passed on to the police anyway. Laws need to be enforceable.

[Dolt]

OG, I think is's just more of a message being sent out to the CC, a message to let them know that they cant hide behind the clothe anymoe.

[Dolt]

Padywack yes they are guilty.

[RATTER15]

I still find the Catholic church an absolute disgrace, I dont suppose anything they can do will ever change that unless they decide to release some of their VAST wealth to actually help people instead of lining there own pockets and keeping their priests in luxurious houses and maintaining that disgusting show of wealth "The Vatican" think of the good that the money from the sale of the Vatican could do, millions of lives could be saved around the world, but no, that is not as important as displaying their wealth!



Absolutely disgusting!!!!!!

If there actually was a God, im sure he would be equally disgusted by the antics of the Catholic Church.

[Elderman]

Something that the churches don’t teach you, As you know, the Bible is a book that at one time was widely respected. In these days, unfortunately, fewer and fewer people read it. Yet when we are discussing the Bible, we cannot do so in a satisfying way if we fail to refer to the Bible,

If the fruitage produced by the teachings of certain religions, as manifest in the lives of their members who are in good standing, is rotten? In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned: “Be on the watch for the false prophets . . . By their fruits you will recognize them. . . . Every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit.” (Matthew 7:15-17)

It is true that individuals may do wrong and need correction. But the situation is different when church members, even the clergy, indulge in fornication and adultery, fighting, drunkenness, greediness, lying, spiritism, worship of idols—any or all of these things—yet no discipline is administered, and those who continue in this course are not excluded from the church.
The Bible clearly states that those who practice such things should be expelled from the church, they will have no place in God’s Kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21) Their worship is not pleasing to God, nor will our worship please God if we choose as associates those whom he rejects.—1 Corinthians 5:11-13; 6:9, 10; Revelation 21:8.