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Clergy Would be Required to Report Child Abuse Disclosed During Confession Under New California Bill

The Los Angeles Times ^ | 2/20/19 | Taryn Luna

Posted on by marshmallow

A California state lawmaker introduced a proposal on Wednesday that would require clergy to report child abuse or neglect disclosed during confession.

The bill is expected to inspire a moral debate at the Capitol about the right to private penance versus a desire to protect children, and will force legislators to wade into the debate over the intersection of religion and public safety.

SB 360 is about the safety and protection of children, said Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), who introduced the proposal. The law should apply equally to all professionals who have been designated as mandated reporters of these crimes  with no exceptions, period. The exemption for clergy only protects the abuser and places children at further risk.

Clergy, doctors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists and social workers are among some 46 categories of professionals required to report any suspicion of abuse or neglect to law enforcement.

But state law offers an exemption for any clergy member who acquires knowledge or a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect during a penitential communication, defined as a sacramental confession or other communication made in confidence.

The proposal received swift backlash from the California Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Catholic Church.

Inserting government into the Confessional does nothing to protect children and everything to erode the fundamental constitutional rights and liberties we enjoy as Americans, said Steve Pehanich, director of communications and advocacy for the California Catholic Conference.



(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...

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To: marshmallow

What about the Seal of Confession? A priest can’t reveal the contents of any confession.



by 2 posted onby Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

To: marshmallow

I suspect the clergy are more likely to be committing it than their parishoners...



by 3 posted onby mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)

To: marshmallow

The Church shoild fight this anti Carholic tooth and nail. The confessional is sacrosanct. There are places the government has no right to intrude.



To: marshmallow

If its all about the children and not just good old fashioned pile on Catholic bashing, shouldn’t psychiatrists and psychologists who are the Left’s clergy be required to report such behavior to the controlling legal authorities. Also you would be surprised what people confess to their yoga instructors.



To: marshmallow

Confession is usually face-to-face nowadays. But what if a confession is heard in the traditional confessional booth? In that case, the penitent is technically anonymous.



To: marshmallow

...but not planned “parenthood”.



by 7 posted onby NativeSon ( Grease the floor with Crisco when I dance the Disco)

To: marshmallow

Clergy: “What is it my child? Do you wish to confess your sins?”

Child: “You first.”



by 8 posted onby CodeToad ( Hating on Trump is hating on me and America!.)

To: Salvation; The Cuban

And what if it your child being abused?



by 9 posted onby TaxPayer2000 (The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government...)

To: marshmallow

Meanwhile Planned Parenthood has been caught on tape coaching young girls to lie about their age, lie about the age of their adult sex partners, and lie about the nature of their sexual contact to keep the police from having to get involved. Planned Parenthood is pro-rape, pro-child abuse, pro-incest.



To: allendale

Only her hairdresser knows for sure.



To: The Cuban

That depends. Are there any actual Catholics left in california, or just cafeteria catholics?



by 12 posted onby Bernard (We will stop calling you fake news when you stop being fake news.)

To: marshmallow

If they can do this then they can, tomorrow, do the same for anything they wish to know about. The State has zero jurisdiction over the Church. This was the meaning of the letter from Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Church about the “separate of Church and State” - it was more about the INABILITY of the State to interfere in the matters of the Church. No, the Church cannot run the State and the same is true in reverse - the State has no business influencing, or having any say over, the Church. Now California, if you wish to break this seal, this contract called the Constitution, you may want to consider the consequences. For the same reason Churches are not required to file for a 501c3 for tax benefits. They inherently qualify and just because the government decides it will create the IRS and have a form for charities doesn’t mean the Church is required to have one. The law even states as much. Why Churches are scared about losing their 501c3 status if they speak about politics is beyond me - they don’t need one in the first place...the State is supposed to have zero authority over them. This has been lost....



by 13 posted onby fuzzylogic (welfare state = sharing of poor moral choices among everybody)

To: Salvation

What about the Seal of Confession? By definition it would be gone. This would sets precedent. No separation of church and state. People would stop going to confession State would replace God.



To: marshmallow

I dont worship at the altar of social Justice and communist party persecution of “the other”, so take your banana republic laws and stuff them you self appointed priest of the Big Brother.



by 15 posted onby American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)

To: marshmallow

These people lawmakers can be moronic A perpetrator would not go to confession So what is the benefit of this idiotic proposal



To: marshmallow

Required to report hearsay that cant be used as evidence... in violation of the First and Fifth Amendment. Stupid.



by 17 posted onby rwilson99 (How exactly would John 3:16 not apply to Mary?)

To: TaxPayer2000

The state has no rolecin the xonfessional no matter the circumstance.



To: fuzzylogic

All you say is true but.......the modern day Catholic Church has partnered with the government and receives payment for services provided. They have inserted themselves into politics in many areas. Especially illegal immigration. Looking to fill the pews. They should be treated like any other business. If they had stayed on their original mission of saving peoples souls, then yes. But they havent.



To: TexasKamaAina

The face to face confession is now optional. I havent been to a face to face confession in ten years.



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