25/01/2024
THE SEAL OF CONFESSION IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
In the Roman Catholic Church, the sacrament of confession is important for making amends with God for sins committed.
In the privacy of a "confession box," Catholics are encouraged to confess their sins to a priest, with the understanding that their confessions will remain confidential.
This "seal of confession," according to the Catholic Church, is a sacred obligation for priests who are bound by the doctrines and teachings of the Church.
The question, however, is whether a Roman Catholic priest can divulge sins confessed in the confession box.
From an ethical perspective, the answer is no because confidentiality is a cornerstone of any counselling or therapeutic relationship. It fosters trust, openness, and the freedom to express one's deepest struggles without fear of judgement or the potential for negative consequences.
The Catholic Church has always maintained the view that the seal of confession is inviolable or unbreakable when it comes to confession.
For this reason, the Catholic Church teaches that it is a crime for a confessor, priest, or bishop in any way to betray a penitent or "confessee" by word, in any other manner, or for any reason, which clearly affirms the sacrament's complete confidentiality.
Therefore, Catholics who ask for forgiveness can rest assured that their sins will be kept confidential because of this moral obligation.
Legally, the seal of confession has also been recognized and protected by many jurisdictions. It is considered a legally recognised privilege, similar to attorney-client privilege or doctor-patient confidentiality.
In some countries, such as the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), priests are protected by laws that prohibit them from disclosing any information related to the confessions they hear.
These legal protections highlight the importance society places on maintaining the confidentiality of spiritual counselling.
Religiously, the sanctity of confession is deeply rooted in Catholic doctrine. The Catholic Church teaches that the seal of confession is absolute and that no external circumstances should ever justify its violation.
According to the teachings of the Catholic Church, confession is an encounter between the penitent, or a Catholic confessing sins, and God. Acting in what is known as “persona Christi” in Latin, which translates to "in the person of Christ," the priest mediates between parties and merely acts as a conduit for God's forgiveness and mercy.
Therefore, the information disclosed in the confession box is understood to be between the penitent, or confessee, and God alone.
But the sanctity of the confession faces difficulties when it comes to circumstances pertaining to other people's security and welfare.
Priests occasionally struggle with learning about an individual's actions. For instance, a man confesses to a priest about having multiple affairs. Later, the adulterous man's wife seeks counselling from the same priest because she thinks her husband is having extramarital affairs.
In another scenario, a woman comes clean and says in the confession box that she poisoned her best friend in order to marry her friend's wealthy husband, but her identity as the murderer eluded police investigations.
Is it possible for a Catholic priest to tell the adulterous husband's wife about his adulterous behaviour or to tell the police who killed the woman whose death they were investigating?
The answer is that sins confessed cannot be revealed by a priest.
The moral obligation to stand for the truth can create tension between the duty of maintaining confidentiality and the responsibility to make the truth known.
Nevertheless, in such cases, the Church instructs priests to encourage the penitent to reveal their sins outside of the confession box and take appropriate actions to ensure reparation.
In conclusion, the Roman Catholic Church reveres the seal of confession, recognising its inviolability. Priests are ethically, legally, and religiously obligated to maintain confidentiality. In exceptional cases, priests may guide penitents to reveal their sins outside the confession box. Balancing confidentiality and protection is a delicate ethical and moral duty for Roman Catholic priests to navigate.