[SoothingDave]

If a child goes to a priest they've gone under the umbrage of the sanctity of the confessional. If they wanted criminal justice they would seek out a cop.

Huh? I think you have things confused. This isn't about a child telling a priest about abuse. It's about the abuser confessing his sin.

SD

[GVnana]

OK. But if you allow for the confessional to be violated, you've closed one of the last safe refuges for truth --whether it's offered the perp or the victim. A priest is not a vehicle for the authority of law enforcement.

Criminal justice affords the right of the accused to be confronted by the accuser. If the accuser does not exercise the right to obtain civil justice, why should a priest be required to set the wheels in motion on a process the accuser does not seek on their own?