So how exactly do the police know someone has confessed to child abuse?
Criminal under arrest- “ well I did confess this to my priest!”
Priest under investigation- “he never told me anything like that!”
Their phones will record the conversation for the authorities.
Sting operations, or an actual child abuser who says he confessed to a priest in hopes of prosecution/sentencing reduction as far as I can see. Also if an adult or kid claims they told a priest in confession they or someone they know were being abused.
If you can use it as proof in a civil case I don’t see how the Church defends from it, the priest can’t even admit they heard a particular confession even if the person wants to them to admit it, much less what was said in it. That’s so things like jealous husbands can’t pressure their wives to ask for the priest to tell him what she said. Or spies asking the priest to tell the authorities what was said in confession. They just say no to it all, no matter what.
I have not read how it will actually work in practice in any of these stories so far. That seems like something practical to expound on. Like how has it been used in other ‘mandatory reporter’ type laws that have been used criminally or civilly before? Is it just hearsay or do you have to have recordings or what?
Freegards
It does not “force” priests to betray the confessional. It punishes priests for betraying the confessional. We will find out fairly quickly whether priests will comply as ringers from the left “go to confession” in probably each diocese.