NEW ORLEANS (ChurchMilitant.com)
- The Louisiana Supreme Court is protecting the Catholic seal of
confession by finding that laws, which categorize priests as "mandatory
reporters" of suspected child abuse, do not apply to priests who
discover such information while hearing confessions.
In its ruling Friday, October 28, the High Court affirmed,
"Any communication made to a priest privately in the sacrament of
confession for the purpose of confession, repentance, and absolution is a
confidential communication … and the priest is exempt from mandatory
reporter status."