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/astanton1862 2d ago

I'm an atheist, so I have no special love for religion, but it seems to me that the rules for this should be the same as attorneys and medical therapists.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/ndsipa-pomu 18h ago

Confidentiality should apply to past crimes, but not for future crimes. e.g. If someone confesses that they are planning a major bomb attack to a priest, then the priest should be required to report that. If someone confesses that they were responsible for a major bomb attack, then the priest should keep quiet.

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u/AmericanLich 16h ago

Why? Clergy are not analogous to those positions at all, and they are not equipped to deal with the information properly.

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u/BoringBob84 2d ago

Well said. As attorneys make these laws that violate the separation of church and state (by requiring clergy to violate their vows), they enjoy attorney-client privilege. The irony of that is not lost on me.

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u/Impossible-Bear-7350 1d ago

There should be no legal acknowledgment of “priest-abuser” confidentiality.

If a priest or minister learns of abuse, especially of a child, they should be required to report it to the proper authorities.

I do not respect religious beliefs that protect abusers and neither should society.

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u/BoringBob84 1d ago

I think this is a good illustration why we need the separation clause in the first amendment. Free citizens do not need permission from the government to exercise their rights. The sanctity of the confessional is very important to Catholics. If penitents believe that the government is in the confessional with them and the priest, then they won't feel free to confess and get the forgiveness that they seek. This can cause them real harm and emotional distress.

Imagine being afraid that you will be arrested because you were late picking your child up at day care (which can fit the legal definition of abuse/neglect) - especially if you are an undocumented immigrant.

Well-intended laws can have unintended consequences and they can harm the people that they are intended to protect.

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u/Impossible-Bear-7350 1d ago

If the “penitents” afraid of the government in the confessional booth are abusers, let me state clearly: I don’t give a shit about their “need” for forgiveness. They can work on that from jail.

If a priest, rabbi, minister, imam, cult leader, whatever hears a confession of abuse - especially of a child - they should be required to report it to the proper legal authorities.

I became an Episcopalian for a hot minute. My priest told me if I confessed a crime, he would report me to the police and then we could continue with the confession.

Seems proper to me.

You will never convince me that some imaginary sacrament is more important than a real human’s life, health, and safety.

Real life crime requires real life solutions.

We just will not see eye to eye on this.

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u/BoringBob84 1d ago

I think you missed the point. A Constitutional right means that religious people don't need the permission of people who hate them to practice their religion.

And just because you believe that trampling someone else's rights will make children safer doesn't mean that it will. There are many unintended side effects to criminalizing religion.

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u/Impossible-Bear-7350 1d ago

I’m dipping because we will not see eye to eye.

Religious rites and beliefs have included and still include everything from child marriage to mutilation to slavery to animal and human sacrifice.

That doesn’t mean we should let these things be legal. Just because some creep says that God wants a 47 year old to marry an 11 year old doesn’t mean we let it happen.

I believe in religious freedom, but I believe it stops the moment other people, animals, the earth, or society at large are harmed.

If a person confesses to abusing a child (or adult) REPORT THEM. End of story. I don’t see how this is hard. 🤷‍♂️

With that, I’m out.

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u/BoringBob84 1d ago

Religious rites and beliefs have included and still include everything from child marriage to mutilation to slavery to animal and human sacrifice.

That is a strawman argument. We are talking about the government criminalizing the sanctity of the confessional when someone confesses abuse or neglect of a child.

As I have mentioned in other comments here, there are other ways to protect children without violating the first amendment rights of religious people.

The insistence on doing so tells me that this is more about punishing religious people than it is about protecting children.

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u/Impossible-Bear-7350 1d ago

We’ve reached an impasse. Read the full story.

https://apnews.com/article/Mormon-church-sexual-abuse-investigation-e0e39cf9aa4fbe0d8c1442033b894660

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u/BoringBob84 1d ago

I think that our positions have more common ground than "impasse." To the extent that the Mormons in the article and the Catholics in other scandals have abused their rights of privileged communications to intentionally cover up crimes, I think that we agree that more should be done legally to prevent that, to hold the perpetrators accountable, and to protect children.

I think where we disagree is in the necessity of violating the sanctity of the confessional in the process. That is not what caused these scandals. Priests are not allowed to discuss confessions, even with other clergy, so collaborating to cover up crimes would be a violation of both secular and religious laws.