Louisiana Judge Rules That Priests Don’t Have to Report Abuse if They Hear It During

[khazmodan]

the question is; do you want a government system that profits from cycling people through a justice system over and over to create more lawyer income, in charge of doing the right thing for your child?. I would trust somebody that is praying for me every day over big government any day.

[Mormolyce]

The analogy doesn't compare, not reporting a crime its not illegal. Stealing things is, regardless of morals the priest has the right to not testify if its their will. Now I'm fully aware that there is a law that can force you to testify, but at the fundamental level Catholic faith depends on the trust between the priest and the guy who confesses, its no different than saving data in your phone; the police can't force you to unlock it and all of the information remains there until they manage to open it themselves. Jeez atheists these days are getting worse.

Actually most professionals that work with children are legally required to report child abuse. Specific laws for it. That's what the confessional wants to be exempt from.

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Falls in with attorney/client privilege or doctor/patient confidentiality.

A privilege which, given their history of abuse, the church should lose.

[Poopymonster]

This sounds like a hit piece. why didnt she tell her parents? im not buying the "i trust the priest more than my parents". and WHY didnt she trust her parents? this rabbit hole goes, deep, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Not surprising, it IS louisiana we're talking about.

When you believe the dogma that says deity above all others, priests talk for said deity, then yeah, I can see someone thinking the priest can make it all better instead of their parents.

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Ever thought about the priest?

Someone drops him and tells him that he has murdered 5 people, that he is going on a rampage the next day. The priest can't talk. A school is shot up the next day.

I wonder how the priest is going to sleep at night.

He prays.
Hopes his deity stops it, or knows his deity has some plan that lets bunch of kids get murdered.
Because reasons. I can't tell you why. Just trust me.

[Powerogue]

I think if they don't report it the church should be demolished by the government and the priest thrown in jail for a very long time for aiding and abedding a sex offender.

I'm not sure inhibiting investigations by lying to the police warrants quite that much. Aiding and abedding a sex offender would be more like learning about the offense, and working with other churches to quietly shuffle the sex offender off to another church under everyone's noses. *cough*

[Cthulhu 2020]

Basically this is CAPTA the 1974 law that mandates all child abuse be reported, no matter the source, going up against freedom of religion. This might go to the Supreme court, but would most likely lose as even the constitution has never protected "freedoms" where someone else may get harmed as a result. Where this law might lose against the amendment is "muh religious freedums!"

[Poopymonster]

Yeah, because Stalin, Mao, and Hitler did so much for atheism.

INB4 hitler was catholic.

If I recall, we're also doing what we can to prevent said types of people who may or may not have been religious (here's to you Adolph) from coming into power ever again. While no such real effort is being made for those hiding under the guise of "Muh relijus freedumbs".