The Seal of the Confessional.

[Aussie]

This concept and the Royal Commission into Abuse by Priests (and others) will bring Canon Law and The State into the most severe of conflicts. Ranging back centuries, it has been a fundamental principle that whatever is confessed to an ordained Priest is a matter of utmost confidentiality based on the (absurd) proposition that without such protection a sinner can never be absolved of their sins and be 'saved.' No matter the crime, no matter how gross, no matter how abhorrent, a confession made to the Priest was one between the sinner, the Priest and Goddy God. No-one else had a right to know. It was to encourage a quest for salvation that the bad guys could do what they liked, confess, sing 12 Hail Marys, and that was an end of the matter so far as the Church was concerned, although there is provision that the Priest is free to encourage, but not insist, the Baddy to go to the State authorities.

Now, enter the State and the entirely different interest it has. It wants to get the Bad Guys, and it will want anyone with evidence, especially a confession made by a Bad Guy in a Confessional, to reveal that evidence/confession.

There will be much wheeling and dealing between State and Church to get around the empasse, and Pell has already made it plain that the Seal of the Confessional will not be violated. If there is no solution, that means this.

Pell himself (or a zilliion other Priests) might be in the Witness Box, and be asked to detail all confessions made to him by his Priests concerning child abuse. Pell will refuse and claim the "Seal of the Confessional." He is where the rock and hard place meet. If he answers, he is damned to all sort of voodoo at the hand of the Church, and if he does not, he could be held in custody for contempt, and remain so, until he purges the contempt by answering the question. The Law, so far, has, by default, recognised this Seal, but it has never been actually tested, that I am aware of. It has been cutely avoided by not seeking to force the issue by putting a Priest in the Witness Box and popping the question. This is going to put the concept of a 'Secular Society' into very deep water.

For what it's worth my personal view is this.............

Fuck you Pell, and the Priests you rode in on. Keep your Seal..............but NOT to protect any of your kiddy fiddler Priests whom you have succored.

[Neferti]

Pedophilia isn't just attributed to the Catholic priests ......

What about the recent ABC employee from Tasmania? Plus many, many others .......

Is the Royal Commission really

"into Abuse by Priests (and others) will bring Canon Law and The State into the most severe of conflicts."

or is it a diversion by Gillard?

Pedophiles should be tracked down, and put away. They can NOT be rehabilitated. They are deviants and prey on children.

[Aussie]

Pedophilia isn't just attributed to the Catholic priests ......

What about the recent ABC employee from Tasmania? Plus many, many others .......

Is the Royal Commission really

"into Abuse by Priests (and others) will bring Canon Law and The State into the most severe of conflicts."

or is it a diversion by Gillard?

Pedophiles should be tracked down, and put away. They can NOT be rehabilitated. They are deviants and prey on children.

You are a fuck wit, Naffy.

Although I have summarised the position in my opening post, here is a bit more on the matter. It provides some more historical material and is not burdensome in length.

[Rorschach]

ALP - Bob Collins, Milton Orkopoulos, Keith Wright, Bill D'Arcy...

Is the ALP included in this Royal Commission?

[mantra]

Pell himself (or a zilliion other Priests) might be in the Witness Box, and be asked to detail all confessions made to him by his Priests concerning child abuse. Pell will refuse and claim the "Seal of the Confessional." He is where the rock and hard place meet. If he answers, he is damned to all sort of voodoo at the hand of the Church, and if he does not, he could be held in custody for contempt, and remain so, until he purges the contempt by answering the question. The Law, so far, has, by default, recognised this Seal, but it has never been actually tested, that I am aware of. It has been cutely avoided by not seeking to force the issue by putting a Priest in the Witness Box and popping the question. This is going to put the concept of a 'Secular Society' into very deep water.

For what it's worth my personal view is this.............

Fuck you Pell, and the Priests you rode in on. Keep your Seal..............but NOT to protect any of your kiddy fiddler Priests whom you have succored.

The Catholic Church is still living in the medieval ages with this doctrine of secrecy. Even confessions of murder are kept sacred in the Confessional. So rapists - whether paedophiles or not, can confess to the most heinous crimes and they are offered protection, absolution and a clear conscious.

The only problem is when the Catholic Church ends up going bankrupt after the court cases start rolling in, other religions will be able to scoop up the disillusioned. Perhaps Islam will be the beneficiary.

[Neferti]

You are a fuck wit, Naffy.

That is definitely the way to NOT get attention. Fool.

Is the Seal of the Confessional about to be CONTROLLED by the Gillard Government?

Get a grip! The Catholic church is more powerful than Julia ....

She is trying to divert attention from her own past and nastiness, sleeze with married men with kids and so forth.

You also should know as a Legal person that Julia is LYING ....... if she had something she would threaten to sue .. all she is saying is "nothing to do with me" ... it was that OTHER Julia Gillard, the young and naive one ... She is complicit in a ........... fill in the dots ...........

I doubt that we have any Catholics on this Forum. If anyone is and wants to put their hand up, I am sure that they will

[Rorschach]

Not being a Catholic or having Catholic beliefs I may get some of this wrong, but...

Isn't the Confessional a place where identities are not known.
An anonymous "sinner" and an anonymous priest. Confession heard, penance decreed.

It is hardly a place I'd expect major crimes being confessed.
I even doubt Catholics are guilty of all the sinning in the world... not even half...

[Aussie]

Pell himself (or a zilliion other Priests) might be in the Witness Box, and be asked to detail all confessions made to him by his Priests concerning child abuse. Pell will refuse and claim the "Seal of the Confessional." He is where the rock and hard place meet. If he answers, he is damned to all sort of voodoo at the hand of the Church, and if he does not, he could be held in custody for contempt, and remain so, until he purges the contempt by answering the question. The Law, so far, has, by default, recognised this Seal, but it has never been actually tested, that I am aware of. It has been cutely avoided by not seeking to force the issue by putting a Priest in the Witness Box and popping the question. This is going to put the concept of a 'Secular Society' into very deep water.

For what it's worth my personal view is this.............

Fuck you Pell, and the Priests you rode in on. Keep your Seal..............but NOT to protect any of your kiddy fiddler Priests whom you have succored.

The Catholic Church is still living in the medieval ages with this doctrine of secrecy. Even confessions of murder are kept sacred in the Confessional. So rapists - whether paedophiles or not, can confess to the most heinous crimes and they are offered protection, absolution and a clear conscious.

The only problem is when the Catholic Church ends up going bankrupt after the court cases start rolling in, other religions will be able to scoop up the disillusioned. Perhaps Islam will be the beneficiary.

Perhaps Mantra. I dunno. What I do know is that the State and the Church are heading for the most massive confrontation, putting their historical and deeply held vested interests into a direct collision course of nuclear proportion.

The phone line to the Pope will be almost melting.

[Neferti]

Perhaps Mantra. I dunno. What I do know is that the State and the Church are heading for the most massive confrontation, putting their vested interests into a direct collision course of nuclear proportion.

Get a grip, Aussie.

hennypenny2.jpg

[mantra]

Perhaps Mantra. I dunno. What I do know is that the State and the Church are heading for the most massive confrontation, putting their historical and deeply held vested interests into a direct collision course of nuclear proportion.

It's about time. They've had control of this planet for too long and believe they have immunity from the law. Even though the States commencing an Inquiry is only a small starting point - the Federal Inquiry will eventually have to take up some of the Catholic issues whether they like it or not.

Isn't the Confessional a place where identities are not known.
An anonymous "sinner" and an anonymous priest. Confession heard, penance decreed.

It is hardly a place I'd expect major crimes being confessed.
I even doubt Catholics are guilty of all the sinning in the world... not even half...

Even Pell has acknowledged that major crimes are confessed in the box - that is if you consider raping children a crime. In most cases the people making the confessions of child abuse would be known to them.

Cardinal Pell highlighted reporting procedures, particularly the 1997 Towards Healing protocols, but defended the continuing sanctity of the confessional.

''The seal of confession is inviolable,'' he said repeatedly. If a priest knew beforehand of the nature of the confession, though, he should not hear the confession, he said.

Read more:http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/abuse-confess ... z2CH9D85Jp