Priesthood Promises to Disobey Law Requiring Priests to Report Sex Abuse

Posted by Kevin Farrell on Apr 30, 2012 in Separation of Church & Prostate | 9 comments

"Your secret is safe with me."

Ireland’s Catholic priests are in hot water already this week after promising to disobey a new Irish law requiring everyone to report the sexual abuse of children to police.

Ireland’s Justice Minister Alan Shatter is to introduce new legislation which will force the clergy to reveal all details disclosed in confession.

But priests have vowed to defy the law despite the threat of a 10-year jail sentence after the introduction of the mandatory reporting legislation.

The 800 strong Association of Catholic Priests has even told the Irish Independent newspaper that its members will flout the Shatter law.

Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Raymond Field said: “The seal of the confessional is inviolable as far as I am concerned, and that’s the end of the matter.”

Yup! That’s the end of the matter. Child molesters need not worry about getting caught, or even stop, just so long as they ask a priest for forgiveness after they’ve done the dirty deed each time.

You’d think that a group so rotten with sex abusers in their ranks would be a little more concerned about maybe distancing themselves from child rapists, but you’d think wrong.

Sex offenders and pedophiles of Ireland, the church has got your back!

(via Irish Central)

http://www.facebook.com/people/Erica-Cook/100000628613592 Erica Cook

So why is it that people who support the violation of children, and have a history of taking children away from families against their will feels they have the right to put any kind of moral judgment out there at all?
http://www.facebook.com/kclendenon Kaylie Clendenon

Wow, because molesting a child totally earns you the respect and silence of the Catholic church…oh, wait…

http://www.facebook.com/kclendenon Kaylie Clendenon

Are they offering complementary relocation services to hide the abuse and get a new crop of victims, as well? Or is that just for the child-molesting Priests?

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001229776819 Evan Malcolm

Great now all the pedos will be running to the catholic church. What is wrong with the world.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=887180542 Michael Blank

most won’t have to run, they’re already there.

Anonymous

I’m sorry, but since I was raised Catholic, I understand this. As far as confession goes, to break that secrecy has been one of the biggest no-nos in the history of the church. However if the criminal says anything to the priest outside of the confessional, they can turn them in for it. I know a priest whos said that once at the end of a mass someone came up to him and confessed to doing things to children. The priests immediate response was “I’m sorry, but I am going to have to report you,” and then he called the cops. So yes it may seem scummy or like they’re hiding something,but you can’t expect them to break a tradition that normally when broken the clergy member is excommunicated. It’s serious stuff, and I don’t expect for you to completel understand how it works, but people go to confession to recieve forgivness, and who are we to judge them for that?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=596916789 Rudy Anthony Cortez

they tell their other pedo priests and prey on them why would they spoil that?
http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Kempton/100001461703058 David Kempton

I see the issue, not quite as indicated. While I hate to agree with protecting pedophiles, I believe that by their own beliefs and requirements of the order, the priests have the obligation to remain silent. It IS a genuine Church vs. State issue, but not OUR State. All we can do is shout from the sidelines.

And I have to repeat that I feel the priests are right to maintain the seal of the confessional. The alternative is for every Catholic to wonder if the government would hear his/her deepest, darkest secrets. And I do NOT agree with, support or have much respect for the Catholic clergy anymore, but I DO side with them on this. Right is right, and they have taken a vow which State cannot IN GOOD FAITH violate.
http://twitter.com/JordanBotwin Jordan-Thomas Hodges

Come on, guys… I have a feeling that, just because Christians are brought up in the conversation, we tend to automatically assume they’re evil, awful people.

I’m a homosexual Catholic male. I have an amazing parish community. I’m accepted and loved. My own priest has voiced his dismay that he is not authorized to give me a wedding.

The Seal of the Confessional is nothing new. Murderers, rapsits, and all other sorts of criminals go into the confessional all the time. It is not the Priest’s job to run and tell the cops. That is the job of the witnesses and the criminal investigations.

Priests do not have to and will never violate the seal of confesssion, as this is part of their vows. Maybe it’s time to take some of this “tolerance” we’ve been preaching and apply it.

NOT every priest is a child molester…

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