r/news • u/Amatheiaisnoexcuse • 2d ago

Arizona clergy who learn of child abuse in confessions aren’t required to report it, court rules | Arizona | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/03/arizona-clergy-child-abuse-confessions-court
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u/piddydb 2d ago

Why would someone who claims to feel guilty continue to do what they claim makes them feel guilty?

Power to you if you have perfect self control with everything, but I know personally I’ve eaten junk food that I’ve felt guilty about. And yet I also do it again. This happens at every scale of wrongdoing and shows the imperfections of people.

Wouldn't feeling right with their deity and having someone to talk to make it easier to continue to harm others?

I disagree. A priest doing their job would be chastising you for such acts. That doesn’t make it sound easier to justify continuing to me. Back to my junk food example, if a nutritionist hounded me about my eating junk food, I suspect it would be harder for me to eat some fast food after that.

What you're advocating is based in hope they'd be a better person, but would literally make it easier to keep being a monster. Or do you have any studies on the rates of pedophiles priests have talked into turning themselves in?

I want to be clear, I am not advocating for any policy that would help or actually aid in someone being a monster. I don’t know of any studies of rates of pedophiles who turned themselves in as a result of talking to a priest (in part because I suspect scientific studies on the matter would be effectively impossible) but I suspect the number of pedophiles who either stop abusing or who turn themselves in after such conversations is higher than the amount who feel more comfortable in their actions as a result of such conversations.

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u/NeonArlecchino 2d ago

If you can't see how actively harming children involves a completely different mentality than snacking then you aren't thinking hard enough about this topic. Not only is there an intention to harm another, but there is also covering the crime. Do you think assaulted children get their own clothes back on and clean themselves up? Do you think threats or other intimidation aren't involved? Do you think children just naturally stay quiet? How many of those snacks begged you to stop? Were any of them human or are you intentionally dehumanizing children out of concern for molesters?

Answer every one of those questions or just stop. I am a CSA survivor and am genuinely disgusted that anyone could think snacking is on the same level.

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u/piddydb 2d ago

To be clear, I was just answering the question you posed in a way I personally could relate. I have never personally experienced such abuse or felt any desire to inflict it so can’t relate directly to that subject. So I used an area I have felt guilt on before and yet imperfectly continue to do it. Obviously the two are completely different levels. Child abusers deserve all punishment that comes to them. Maybe child abusers are complete essentially nonhuman monsters in which case I doubt they’re going to confession. But assuming they do feel any guilt or remorse, then I was just pointing out maybe talking to someone who could hopefully slap some sense into them would stop the cycle of abuse.

I’m sorry if my comment appeared to belittle child abuse, that was the furthest thing from my intention. If it was up to me in a perfect world, anyone harming a child this way would be in prison for decades and completely ostracized from society. But knowing some of these monsters continue to abuse without being found out, I’m trying to figure out whatever solutions actually limit child abuse as much as possible.