Wisconsin Bill Would Require Priests to Violate Seal of Confession
A bill introduced by three Democratic lawmakers in the Wisconsin State Legislature on Aug. 7 would require priests to report information about sexual abuse to law enforcement even if it is learned in the confessional, an action that violates the sacrament of confession and the religious faith of Catholics. Some observers say the bill is patently "anti-Catholic" because it does not also call on lawyers to violate attorney-client privilege or psychiatrists to disclose what they might learn from their patients.
Wisconsin already has a law from 2004 that requires clergy to report any information about sexual abuse to law enforcement when it is discovered. But this does not apply to information that may be discovered in confession. The new bill, the Clergy Mandatory Reporter Act, would change that situation.
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https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/wisc-bill-would-require-priests-violate-seal-confession
