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Paragraph 2490 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
IV. Respect for the Truth.
.
.
2490 The II secret of the sacrament of Reconciliation II is sacred, and cannot be violated under any pretext.
"The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore, it is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason." (Code of Canon Law, Canon 983 § 1)
In light of this passage in the Catechism, I would like to know if the Catholic Church has any further teaching on a situation where a priest hears a Confession of some one who has committed a crime against civil authorities and has no intention of turning himself in?
How accountable is the priest in this situation if the person still has intentions of harming other people?
Is it morally justifiable for the priest to say nothing, knowing that people could get hurt?
God bless,
Brian
{
Within Confession, is it justifiable for the priest to say nothing, knowing people could get hurt? }
Fr. Jonathan replied:
Hi, Brian —
You said:
Is it morally justifiable for the priest to say nothing, knowing that people could get hurt?
Yes it is; the seal not being broken is a higher (standard|moral issue) than any sin or potential harm that could be committed however the priest would surely counsel the person.
Fr. Jonathan
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