My first post on this blog was a result of my frustration at the lack of knowledge of “Catholic” politicians. Not knowing basic tenets of their faith, they unknowingly mouth out stuff against their own faith.
And, it’s on again. This time with the announcement of a Royal Commission on Paedophilia in churches and so on.
Listening to a talkshow, one got the feeling that as it this has to do with protecting children, the Seal of Confession should be dispensed with. The radio host I was listening to talked over a Catholic woman who rang in defence of the Seal. Another “Catholic” who called previously in support of breaking the Seal was given a fair hearing.
And, we have some “Catholic” politicians calling for the Seal to be broken, as well. To be fair, Ted Baillieu is one exception.
Now for some of my thoughts.
These sort of enquiries/commissions can end up as witch hunts. Already murmuring in some sectors call for just concentrating on the Catholic Church. Again, a voice who spoke in defence of the Seal is Andrew Bolt, a non-Catholic. Not only when interviewed did he think that it should be kept sacred but also in several blog posts.
He’s already labelled the effort as a possible witch hunt against the Catholic Church.
Okay, we all love our kids, so we should protect them anyway possible. And, the crime against children is abhorrent, made worse by the status of the perpetrator, be he a priest, religious, person in authority or an older relation. But, destroying an important character of the sacrament is going too far. Yes, the sacrament—one of seven that Jesus Christ instituted while he was on earth.
We heard cries of the “law is above religion”. Well, there is separation of church and state. Religion is not above the law but works with it and is on another plane. After all, did Christ not mean that when he said to give to Caesar (the emperor), what is Caesar’s (the emperor’s) and to God what is God’s. (Ref. Mk 12:17, Lk 20:25) The seal of confession is recognised in law in the UK and many commonwealth countries, in that what is disclosed therein one cannot use such information as evidence. I am not a lawyer, so this is way over my head, suffice to say that there is pretty much common acceptance of the principle, the Irish effort to do otherwise, notwithstanding. And, many countries respect this principle as well.
“We are now in the 21st century, the seal is archaic.” Sacraments were instituted by our Lord for all time. It’s only been two millenia since their institution and archaic they are not. They are living instruments of our faith that will be with us ‘til the end of time. Much as some lefties would have us believe otherwise.
The sacred trust of the penitent and confessor is really akin to client-lawyer privilege, or patient-doctor confidence. The penitent is assured that his sins will not be broadcast to the world. Likewise what a client or patient makes known to his lawyer/doctor. Not only that, in this sacrament, the priest stands in the place of our Lord. So, the sacred nature of the sacrament is even more so, when you put God in the confessional.
As example, the much referred story of St John Nepomucene, confessor to the queen, who would not divulge what he heard in confession to the king (Wenceslaus IV), despite being tortured and in the end killed by drowning on 20 March, 1393. He kept the secret of her confession to his grave.
And, so it is. I see many priests ending up in jail rather than disclosing what they have learned in confession, should the Seal be broken by legislative fiat. A sad day that will be.
There are other points I wanted to discuss, including the prerogative of a confessor to refuse absolution. But, let me end with this thought. If anything the person who will most probably confess is the victim.
A priest I speak with regularly suggests that when this is made known to a priest, he will suggest a talk outside the confessional. There, the priest can make suggestions not bound by the Seal. And, I posit that a paedophile who confesses his/her sins will need to have a firm purpose of amendment to merit absolution. Also, that person can be made to report his/her crime to the police as part of the penance.
So, considering all of these points, do we really want to break the Seal of Confession? Break the sacrament Christ founded, kill all sense of secrecy we now enjoy and destroy our trust in its secrecy, I don’t think so.
And, it’s on again. This time with the announcement of a Royal Commission on Paedophilia in churches and so on.
Listening to a talkshow, one got the feeling that as it this has to do with protecting children, the Seal of Confession should be dispensed with. The radio host I was listening to talked over a Catholic woman who rang in defence of the Seal. Another “Catholic” who called previously in support of breaking the Seal was given a fair hearing.
And, we have some “Catholic” politicians calling for the Seal to be broken, as well. To be fair, Ted Baillieu is one exception.
Now for some of my thoughts.
These sort of enquiries/commissions can end up as witch hunts. Already murmuring in some sectors call for just concentrating on the Catholic Church. Again, a voice who spoke in defence of the Seal is Andrew Bolt, a non-Catholic. Not only when interviewed did he think that it should be kept sacred but also in several blog posts.
He’s already labelled the effort as a possible witch hunt against the Catholic Church.
Okay, we all love our kids, so we should protect them anyway possible. And, the crime against children is abhorrent, made worse by the status of the perpetrator, be he a priest, religious, person in authority or an older relation. But, destroying an important character of the sacrament is going too far. Yes, the sacrament—one of seven that Jesus Christ instituted while he was on earth.
We heard cries of the “law is above religion”. Well, there is separation of church and state. Religion is not above the law but works with it and is on another plane. After all, did Christ not mean that when he said to give to Caesar (the emperor), what is Caesar’s (the emperor’s) and to God what is God’s. (Ref. Mk 12:17, Lk 20:25) The seal of confession is recognised in law in the UK and many commonwealth countries, in that what is disclosed therein one cannot use such information as evidence. I am not a lawyer, so this is way over my head, suffice to say that there is pretty much common acceptance of the principle, the Irish effort to do otherwise, notwithstanding. And, many countries respect this principle as well.
“We are now in the 21st century, the seal is archaic.” Sacraments were instituted by our Lord for all time. It’s only been two millenia since their institution and archaic they are not. They are living instruments of our faith that will be with us ‘til the end of time. Much as some lefties would have us believe otherwise.
The sacred trust of the penitent and confessor is really akin to client-lawyer privilege, or patient-doctor confidence. The penitent is assured that his sins will not be broadcast to the world. Likewise what a client or patient makes known to his lawyer/doctor. Not only that, in this sacrament, the priest stands in the place of our Lord. So, the sacred nature of the sacrament is even more so, when you put God in the confessional.
As example, the much referred story of St John Nepomucene, confessor to the queen, who would not divulge what he heard in confession to the king (Wenceslaus IV), despite being tortured and in the end killed by drowning on 20 March, 1393. He kept the secret of her confession to his grave.
And, so it is. I see many priests ending up in jail rather than disclosing what they have learned in confession, should the Seal be broken by legislative fiat. A sad day that will be.
There are other points I wanted to discuss, including the prerogative of a confessor to refuse absolution. But, let me end with this thought. If anything the person who will most probably confess is the victim.
A priest I speak with regularly suggests that when this is made known to a priest, he will suggest a talk outside the confessional. There, the priest can make suggestions not bound by the Seal. And, I posit that a paedophile who confesses his/her sins will need to have a firm purpose of amendment to merit absolution. Also, that person can be made to report his/her crime to the police as part of the penance.
So, considering all of these points, do we really want to break the Seal of Confession? Break the sacrament Christ founded, kill all sense of secrecy we now enjoy and destroy our trust in its secrecy, I don’t think so.
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