Seal of confession
The Latest
Seal of Confession under attack? Delaware, Vermont bills draw Catholic criticism
The proposed requirement would be practically “nearly impossible to meet” for Catholic clergy, the Diocese of Wilmington has said. Read more
Catholic Church in England and Wales will ‘carefully study’ abuse report recommendations
The Catholic Church in England and Wales has said it will “carefully study” the contents of a national report concerning... Read more
Pope Francis: In confession, the priest should guide penitent to holiness
Pope Francis spoke to around 800 priests and seminarians at the end of a course on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Read more
What is the seal of confession? A Q&A with Cardinal Mauro Piacenza
To learn more about the secrecy of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we spoke to Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, the head of... Read more
France’s Catholic bishops will uphold confessional seal, spokeswoman clarifies
She said: ‘One cannot change the canon law for France as it is international.’ Read more
Analysis: The Church in France must uphold the confessional seal
The French bishops’ conference has seemingly tried to walk back the straightforward comments of the Bishop of Reims, who recently... Read more
French Catholic leader discusses ‘clumsy wording’ on confessional seal with interior minister
The archbishop asked for ‘forgiveness,’ saying that his remarks overshadowed a landmark abuse report. Read more
Catholic bishops’ leader to discuss confessional seal comments with France’s interior minister
The meeting will take place on Oct. 12. Read more
UN experts’ letter to Vatican has ‘no real teeth,’ says Church official
The letter accused the Holy See of engaging in “obstructive practices” related to abuse. Read more
Statement by UN ‘experts’ seeks to discredit the Holy See
The statement by a group of U.N. experts will ‘give the Holy See a pie in the face.’ Read more
North Dakota lawmaker withdraws bill requiring violation of seal of confession
A North Dakota bill that would have required priests to violate the seal of confession has been withdrawn by its...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
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
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
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
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
The Montana Supreme Court has unanimously reversed a $35 million judgement against the Jehovah’s Witnesses, on the grounds that the... Read more
Australia's bishops protest national move to force priests to reveal confessions
Australia’s Catholic bishops support “nationally consistent” reporting standards for the abuse of minors, but cannot support new national legal standards... Read more
Sex abuse scandal leaves Australian Church, gov’t scrambling for solutions
In the wake of a major clergy sex abuse scandal and the high-profile, controversial trial and conviction of sex abuse... Read more
Priests 'cannot comply' with laws that break seal of confession, Tasmania's archbishop says
The leader of Tasmania’s Catholic Church said priests in his archdiocese will not comply with a law that would require... Read more
New Australian law requires priests to break confessional seal
A law passed in the Australian state of Victoria on Tuesday would require priests to violate the seal of confession... Read more
