California Bill Threatens Seal of Confession

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Lesson Overview

On May 23, 2019 the California Senate passed a bill mandating the reporting by designated persons of actual or suspected child abuse to the state. Senate Bill 360 specifically compels priests to reveal information about abuse of minors that they hear in Sacrament of Confession. This would set the California state law in direct conflict with the Law of the Church, which declares the Seal of Confession as sacred, absolute, and inviolable.

To some, this may not appear to be a controversial issue at all; they may in fact support the bill and, in the interest of transparency, see the exposure of secret sins as a good to be desired in this instance. After all, the purpose of this bill is to ensure the protection of children from abuse. Who would oppose it?

The truth is not so simple, and much is at stake with this bill. As faithful Catholics, we must know our position when our Faith is misunderstood and attacked. If this bill becomes law and a priest complies with it, he would commit a grave sin, betraying his Faith, his sacred office, and the trust of those who confess to him; he would forfeit his communion with the Church, and cause scandal to the faithful who look to him as an example. In an attempt to supersede the Law of the Church, this bill explicitly infringes upon the religious liberty of Catholics.

In this lesson your students will:

  • Learn what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, the Seal of Confession, and the right to truth.
  • Explore the Sacrament of Confession as a profound encounter with God’s mercy and forgiveness.
  • In light of California Senate Bill 360, examine why it is never permissible to do an evil so that good may result from it.
  • Discuss the ways that we, as Catholics, can share with others the beauty of Confession, and encourage them to experience God’s love in this Sacrament.

Lesson Materials

Resources

Activities:

Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1465, 2467, and 2489

  1. First, have your students read Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1465, 2467,
    and 2489. Then, have them complete the focus and reflection questions.
  2. When your students have completed the focus and reflection questions, review and
    discuss the correct answers.

California Bill Threatens Seal of Confession

  1. Have your students read the articles, “California threatens to upend Catholic ‘seal of confession’”, from The Washington Times, and “California Bishop on Seal of Confession: ‘No Priest May Obey’ Proposed Law,” from National Catholic Register.
  2. Then, arrange your students into groups of three or four. Have them discuss what they have learned about the Sacrament of Confession from the Catechism and contrast it against what they read in the articles using the discussion questions from California Bill Threatens Seal of Confession.
  3. When each group has finished discussing, call on groups to share with the class some key points from their conversation.

 

Answer Key

Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1465, 2467, & 2489 Focus and Reflection Questions

  1. Accept reasoned answers. God forgives the contrite heart through the minister of the Sacrament of Confession, who is the “sign and the instrument of God's merciful love for the sinner” (CCC 1465). It is Christ who acts in and through the priest in this Sacrament.
  2. The priest offers guidance, charity, and instruction to the penitent. Accept reasoned answers. The Seal of Confession exists to respect the privacy of the penitent, who approaches God in sorrow and trust, and whose confession is a matter to be known only by him and God. It also protects the community from knowledge they have no right to know, since confession is an intimate and personal encounter between a sinner and God.
  3. Accept reasoned answers.
  4. Accept reasoned answers. 

California Law Threatens Seal of Confession

  1. Accept reasoned answers. The bill requires priests to divulge information learned in the confessional, should it concern the abuse of minors, thus breaking the Seal of Confession.
  2. Accept reasoned answers. Because of the “delicacy and greatness of this ministry and the respect due to persons” (CCC 2467). Confession is a private and sensitive matter, and an intimate encounter between the penitent Christian and God. The Seal protects the trust of the penitent, and safeguards the community from scandal.
  3. If an absolute law of the Church is superseded in this matter, it sets a dangerous precedent for the future. Any religious principle or law could thus be challenged, overruled, or “redefined” by the state.
  4. It mandates that Catholic priests must break the seal of Confession should a penitent make any admission, or raise any suspicion, of child abuse. For a priest such a breach of trust would be a grave sin, which no circumstance could legitimize. The bill uses the end to justify the means, which is in direct conflict with Catholic principles, defined in the Catechism.
  5. It is in Confession that we encounter God’s mercy in the most profound and intimate way. Through Confession God absolves our sins and we are reunited with Him in a state of grace. This union with God is the deepest human longing. Accept reasoned answers.

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