The Catholic World Report: The Diocese of Baton Rouge is protesting a decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court that the diocese contends requires one of its priests to violate the seal of confession.
In May, the state Supreme Court ruled that a hearing be held to determine whether or not Father Jeff Bayhi heard the confession of a then-12-year-old girl who claims to have told the priest that she was being abused by a man in his parish. The diocese, which is named along with Father Bayhi in a lawsuit filed by the child’s parents, said in a statement released yesterday (PDF here):
A foundational doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church for thousands of years mandates that the seal of confession is absolute and inviolable. Pursuant to his oath to the Church, a priest is compelled never to break that seal. Neither is a priest allowed to admit that someone went to confession to him. If necessary, the priest would have to suffer a finding of contempt in a civil court and suffer imprisonment rather than violate his sacred duty and violate the seal of confession and his duty to the penitent. Read more here.
