If the Commie “confessed” in a conversation, the priest was not bound by the Seal of Confession.
If the confession occurred during the Sacrament of Penance, then the priest violated the seal.
Over the years, the absoluteness of the seal has been made more and more explicit.
It is said that when the priest emerged from hearing St. Thomas Aquinas’s last confession, he said it was the confession of a five-year-old child. I.e., St. Thomas is noted for his chastity.
In modern times, a priest would not say even that much. He would not speak even of having heard a confession.
'It is said' covers a LOT of stuff found in Catholicism.