A new state law assaults the secrecy of confession, which is non-negotiable for the Catholic Church. The Trump administration is expected to react.
Confession
“Article 23”: The Secret of Confession Under Attack in Hong Kong
The proposed new Security Law will compel priests and pastors to disclose information about “treason” learned in confession.
The Paul Adams Case: Once Again, Courts Protect the Secret of Confession
Victims of a deceased child sexual abuser in Arizona were told the LDS Church had a right not to disclose information it had received in confession.
Arizona Supreme Court Protects Secret of Confession in a LDS Case
Although a man had boasted of his sexual abuse of his daughter on social media, what he told to his Mormon church leaders in a confessional context remains protected.
California and Confession. 4. Confessing to More than One Minister
Protecting the secret of the confession only when the penitent confesses to one minister creates an unjustified privilege for some religions.
California and Confession. 3. With Relatives Present, It’s Still a Confession
In other American states, courts have concluded that the presence of wives, children, or parents of the penitent does not make the confessional privilege inapplicable.
California and Confession. 2. A Landmark Case, Reutkemeier v. Nolte
In 1917, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that a confession can be rendered to a committee of four and still be protected by the confessional privilege.
California and Confession. 1. A Catholic Victory—Which Did Not Solve All Problems
In 2019, Catholics managed to stop a draft law that would have opened a breach in the confessional privilege. But they left a problem unsolved.
England and Wales: New Assault Against the Secrecy of Confession
In its final report, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recommends to eliminate the confessional privilege in cases of sexual abuse of children.
Sacred and/or Secret, Confession and Other Forms of Religious Secrecy: A Scholarly Discussion
At the European Sociological Association’ RN34 conference, a panel discussed contemporary criticism of secrecy in religion, from the Catholic Church to Scientology