Seal of confession

The Latest

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Bishop urges Utah lawmakers to protect seal of confession in sex abuse reporting bill

Feb 2, 2024

By Tyler Arnold

The bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City is urging lawmakers to maintain language preserving the seal of confession... Read more

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Catholic leaders in Costa Rica oppose bill forcing priests to break seal of confession

Nov 16, 2023

By Diego López Marina

A group of Catholic leaders from Costa Rica recently laid out the position of the Church regarding a bill that... Read more

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Washington bishop: Priests would rather go to jail than break seal of confession

Apr 20, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

Spokane Bishop Thomas A. Daly has assured his diocese that priests would opt for a jail sentence before they would... Read more

CNA

Priest stripped of faculty to hear confessions after he advocated violating that sacrament in sex abuse cases

Mar 23, 2023

By Joe Bukuras

Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee made the move following the priest’s public support for civil laws mandating priests break the... Read more

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Seal of Confession under attack? Delaware, Vermont bills draw Catholic criticism

Mar 9, 2023

By Kevin J. Jones

The proposed requirement would be practically “nearly impossible to meet” for Catholic clergy, the Diocese of Wilmington has said. Read more

Purple stole and confessional.

Catholic Church in England and Wales will ‘carefully study’ abuse report recommendations

Oct 27, 2022

By CNA Staff

The Catholic Church in England and Wales has said it will “carefully study” the contents of a national report concerning... Read more

Pope Francis goes to confession during a penance service in St. Peter's Basilica on March 25, 2022.

Pope Francis: In confession, the priest should guide penitent to holiness

Mar 26, 2022

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis spoke to around 800 priests and seminarians at the end of a course on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Read more

Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary

What is the seal of confession? A Q&A with Cardinal Mauro Piacenza

Oct 15, 2021

By CNA Staff

To learn more about the secrecy of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we spoke to Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, the head of... Read more

Karine Dalle, the communications director of the French bishops’ conference.

France’s Catholic bishops will uphold confessional seal, spokeswoman clarifies

Oct 14, 2021

By CNA Staff

She said: ‘One cannot change the canon law for France as it is international.’ Read more

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Analysis: The Church in France must uphold the confessional seal

Oct 13, 2021

By Fr. Gerald Murray

The French bishops’ conference has seemingly tried to walk back the straightforward comments of the Bishop of Reims, who recently... Read more

Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, pictured in 2015.

French Catholic leader discusses ‘clumsy wording’ on confessional seal with interior minister

Oct 12, 2021

By CNA Staff

The archbishop asked for ‘forgiveness,’ saying that his remarks overshadowed a landmark abuse report. Read more

The Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, which houses the meeting room of the UN Human Rights Council.

UN experts’ letter to Vatican has ‘no real teeth,’ says Church official

Jun 21, 2021

By CNA Staff

The letter accused the Holy See of engaging in “obstructive practices” related to abuse. Read more

The meeting room of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Statement by UN ‘experts’ seeks to discredit the Holy See

Jun 20, 2021

By Andrea Gagliarducci

The statement by a group of U.N. experts will ‘give the Holy See a pie in the face.’ Read more

Credit: Quisquilia/Shutterstock

North Dakota lawmaker withdraws bill requiring violation of seal of confession

Feb 2, 2021

A North Dakota bill that would have required priests to violate the seal of confession has been withdrawn by its... Read more

Western Australian legislative committee recommends preserving confessional seal

Sep 12, 2020

Religious ministers should not be required to violate the seal of confession to report child sex abuse, a committee of... Read more

Queensland passes law requiring priests to break confessional seal

Sep 8, 2020

The legislature of the Australian state of Queensland on Tuesday passed a law requiring priests to violate the seal of... Read more

Holy See upholds confessional seal in response to Australian royal commission

Sep 6, 2020

The Australian bishops have provided the federal government with the Holy See’s observations on 12 recommendations of a 2017 report... Read more

Critics: Utah bill on confession would criminalize priests, not counter sex abuse

Jan 16, 2020

By Kevin J. Jones

A Utah legislator’s proposal to remove protections for priests and other clergy who hear confessions of the sexual abuse of... Read more

Montana high court reverses sex abuse judgement against Jehovah’s Witnesses

Jan 10, 2020

By Kevin J. Jones

The Montana Supreme Court has unanimously reversed a $35 million judgement against the Jehovah’s Witnesses, on the grounds that the... Read more