Dear all, You might have heard that there is a proposal to vote in California to remove the seal of confession. This would be specifically regarding religious and Church employees that might disclose abuse inside the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This would not apply to any other person but only religious and Church employees. I would like to share some resources about this law provided by our diocese of San Jose. Please let’s get informed and make the right decisions. We are all committed to protect youth and vulnerable adults.
From the DSJ office of Evangelization: “For Catholics, Confession is sacred, and the ability to confess our sins confidentially is essential to our religious belief and practice. SB 360 would deny the right to confidential confessions to priests and to tens of thousands of Catholics who work with priests in parishes and other Church agencies and ministries. We agree with the intention behind SB 360: that all youth should be protected from abuse. But clergy and ministers are already “mandated reporters” — which means that when they hear information about suspected child abuse, they are required to report this to law enforcement. And there is no evidence that denying tens of thousands of California Catholics the right to seek God’s forgiveness in Confession will protect children. Please vote NO on SB 360 unless it is amended to ensure that all Californians are able to confess their sins to their priests to receive the grace of the Sacrament. Any law that does not keep this unique form of religious communications private and available to every person, is wrong and violates Californians’ rights to practice their religion freely.”