Church confession

[Humph Warden Bennett]

From our local rag.

http://tinyurl.com/hb2zszt



The report does not inform the reader as to which denomination of church this man attended. I do feel slightly awkward about the members of the church reporting this man to the police (and YES I have a son and daughter myself).

This is a difficult subject, I would appreciate forum members comments. Did the church members act correctly?

[Nearly Sane]

Yes

[Brownie]

Yes they did, forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean avoiding any punishment.  It doesn't sound as though he has been 'shunned'. 

It must have been a church where there is general, as opposed to one to one confidential confession. Had it been a lesser offence, not involving abuse, I doubt anyone would have spoken of it outside the church.

I wonder which church it involved?  Only interested because I grew up in Sydenham and look in on the 'Sydenham Town Forum' from time to time.

[BeRational]

Yes I think they acted correctly.

[jeremyp]

I don't think "confession" means in the catholic sense here. To me it reads like he told some people at his church. The story says he also wrote to a relative of the victim.

Anyway, to answer the question: they did the right thing. If it had been a proper Catholic confession, the right thing to do would still be to inform the police. I don't think that Catholic priests should be above the law.

[Brownie]

A Catholic priest would have told him forgiveness was conditional on him giving himself up to the law;  a really good one would have accompanied him.  However you are right that it doesn't sound like that sort of confession, more a general one that happens in some churches.

Having said that, many years ago, when I was a practicing Catholic, we had a mission at the church which culminated in a general, open confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation), such as outlined above.   We all told eachother one thing - so it's possible, in which case it would have been up to the lay person or people who heard what he said.

[Owlswing]

No question - they did the right thing.

[Humph Warden Bennett]

This obviously was a church environment of some sort-but what if it had been an AA meeting, where all present are supposed not to mention anything said, heard, or done? Would there be any difference?

[floo]

From our local rag.

http://tinyurl.com/hb2zszt



The report does not inform the reader as to which denomination of church this man attended. I do feel slightly awkward about the members of the church reporting this man to the police (and YES I have a son and daughter myself).

This is a difficult subject, I would appreciate forum members comments. Did the church members act correctly?

I am glad the evil b*stard was reported, of course they acted correctly, if priests receiving confessions doesn't report crimes they should be prosecuted. In the UK I believe Catholic priests are expected to inform the police if a person has confessed a serious crime. People going to confession should be told that priests cannot keep to themselves a confession involving criminal activity.

[Brownie]

Floo, this is what I said earlier:  "A Catholic priest would have told him forgiveness was conditional on him giving himself up to the law;  a really good one would have accompanied him."

Humph, I understand what you are saying, it isn't a comfortable scenario.  However there is a difference between being confidential and being confidential in every circumstance. Even doctors are allowed to release information on patients in extreme circumstances. I would have thought an admission of abuse - not a one off that happened maybe thirty years ago - was something that couldn't go unchallenged in some way.  I daresay there was discussion about it amongst the congregation, or the ones who had heard him, with some for and some against reporting him.  They should have supported him too, encouraging him to go to the police and turn himself in, and standing by him.  For all we know they may have done that.

Regarding AA meetings, would an alcoholic who isn't drunk admit to something like that in public?  I'd think not and if they did I imagine the same rules apply as to doctors.