There is nothing in the Bible that indicates this intolerably stupid statement. "Cardinal" George Pell says priests who hear confessions from colleagues who commit child sex abuse should remain bound by the Seal of Confession. That's completely unChristian as we are to obey they law (as long as it isn't in defiance of God's Law) and crimes are to be reported and justice brought to the wrong-doers.
Jesus said we were to "pay back Caesar's things to Caesar" - obeying the law of the land, and Paul spoke of respect for law in Romans 13. That Bell is encouraging the committing and covering up of sexual abuse of children is particularly heinous.
There are multiple verses in the Bible that talk about not revealing secrets (e.g., Prv 11:13, 12:23). While there is a biblical requirement not to lie, there is no biblical requirement to spill all the truth one knows whenever anyone asks.
Now secular people as well as protestants to admit that the attorney-client privilege is valid and to be honored. But if what he says about the Bible requiring full disclosure to the authorities were true, this would demolish the attorney-client privilege as well, since what the Bible says about truth-telling applies just as much to lawyers as it does to priests.
Third, society deems the attorney-client privilege beneficial, even if some guilty people go free because of it. How much more beneficial is the priest-penitent privilege, which entails a requirement of true contrition! The advantage to the many in knowing that their sins will not be broadcast justifies the practice, even though it means some people guilty of criminal offenses (which are by no means the worst offenses discussed during confession) will escape civil (though not divine) justice.
Fourth, the Bible requires us to confess our sins to others (Jas 5:16). On the Protestant model one confesses to just anybody and does so for purely therapeutic purposes, not for absolution. Even in that model the confider-confidant privilege would be needed. People need to know that their sins will not be publicly revealed, or they will not confess them.
Finally, Catholics believe that the priest, in administering sacraments, assumes the role of Christ; what is said by the penitent is as inviolate as anything said directly to God in prayer.
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There is nothing in the Bible that indicates this intolerably stupid statement. "Cardinal" George Pell says priests who hear confessions from colleagues who commit child sex abuse should remain bound by the Seal of Confession. That's completely unChristian as we are to obey they law (as long as it isn't in defiance of God's Law) and crimes are to be reported and justice brought to the wrong-doers.
Jesus said we were to "pay back Caesar's things to Caesar" - obeying the law of the land, and Paul spoke of respect for law in Romans 13. That Bell is encouraging the committing and covering up of sexual abuse of children is particularly heinous.
Hello,
There are multiple verses in the Bible that talk about not revealing secrets (e.g., Prv 11:13, 12:23). While there is a biblical requirement not to lie, there is no biblical requirement to spill all the truth one knows whenever anyone asks.
Now secular people as well as protestants to admit that the attorney-client privilege is valid and to be honored. But if what he says about the Bible requiring full disclosure to the authorities were true, this would demolish the attorney-client privilege as well, since what the Bible says about truth-telling applies just as much to lawyers as it does to priests.
Third, society deems the attorney-client privilege beneficial, even if some guilty people go free because of it. How much more beneficial is the priest-penitent privilege, which entails a requirement of true contrition! The advantage to the many in knowing that their sins will not be broadcast justifies the practice, even though it means some people guilty of criminal offenses (which are by no means the worst offenses discussed during confession) will escape civil (though not divine) justice.
Fourth, the Bible requires us to confess our sins to others (Jas 5:16). On the Protestant model one confesses to just anybody and does so for purely therapeutic purposes, not for absolution. Even in that model the confider-confidant privilege would be needed. People need to know that their sins will not be publicly revealed, or they will not confess them.
Finally, Catholics believe that the priest, in administering sacraments, assumes the role of Christ; what is said by the penitent is as inviolate as anything said directly to God in prayer.
Cheers,
Michael Kelly
It's pure cult.
I saw is interview today and imagined him something down the track, blowing his head off.
I felt sad for him as he has no grasp on reality.
But I feel a lot sadder for the victims
Several pages of my bible have suspicious brown stains, are they scriptural?