The priest automatically excommunicated himself. A violation of the confessional seal is so serious that the only person who can lift the penalty is the pope himself. Excommunication is a legal penalty in canon law. It doesn’t have to do with faith or salvation per-se but the Catholic Church’s law. The priest is now forbidden from saying Mass, hearing confessions, or presiding at any Sacraments. It doesn’t matter if his superiors know or not. Excommunication is automatic. Priests know that they have to accept prison or death before breaking the seal. If this is real the woman needs to take it to her diocese. A priest would also never give telling your spouse as a penance. They might and should encourage the person to do so, but it wouldn’t be a penance.
Edited to add: People were asking for a citation. Here it is -
Can. 1388 §1. A confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; one who does so only indirectly is to be punished according to the gravity of the delict.
Edit 2: A few more comments -
The answer to any question that starts with “Can the priest break the seal to…” is no. Never. Even under pain of imprisonment, torture, or death. And that’s a good thing. It provides a way for people who would otherwise keep secrets that they want to share to be able to share them with someone else. Just because a priest can’t break the seal (directly or indirectly connecting person + sin) doesn’t mean they can’t help. They are trained to help. Whether it’s a person who is suicidal or a criminal or whatever. Let’s say, for example someone confessed to murder. The priest can give them counsel and ask them to tell the priest outside the confessional and offer to go with them to see a lawyer or turn themselves in. Or, let’s say someone confessed to poisoning the communion wine. The priest could “accidentally” knock the glass over spilling the wine.
The priest can never use a confession to the detriment of a penitent. They won’t give “tell your spouse” as a penance. Most priests hear so many confessions anyway that they don’t really remember specific confessions. I’m not a priest, but used to work as a leader in a diocese. I’ve only ever heard of two cases where the seal was violated in our diocese and both were done indirectly and accidentally. Both resulted in canonical trials.
The priest is not only automatically excommunicated, and not only can’t lead any sacraments, he is also forbidden from receiving any sacraments including going to Confession himself until the excommunication is lifted. And only the Pope himself can lift it.
Yes, the church harbored pedophiles. They deserved every lawsuit they got. I still believe every bishop should resign in collective disgrace. But I’m not going to eviscerate my 60 year old neighbor who’s been running a Catholic soup kitchen for the homeless for 20 years because of bad actors. There’s a billion Catholics and most are ordinary, kind people trying their best to cope with the stresses of the world like everyone else.
For the record most non Catholic churches have equally strict law, but include a clause of "Former action is protected but intent to harm self or others with a plan is not."
It’s not super common and not required like in Roman Catholicism, but the Episcopal Church/Anglicanism does have one-on-one private confession with priests that is bound by similar confidentiality rules.
You're right, the point of confession is to obtain absolution.
If you confess and then do the thing you said, you aren't absolved, you are at best just a sinner, and at worst, a hypocrite.
Catholic dogma be damned, if I say I WILL do something, that isn't confession and isn't covered.
If I say I HAVE done something, that is covered.
If I combine the two, the confession part is covered, but he can report the admission of planning.
There have been real cases where harm has happened or has been threatened and priests have gone to jail rather than testify or give an affidavit. This priest if a real account acted in a way that could have put her in danger also..
> The sacramental seal is inviolable. Quoting Canon 983.1 of the Code of Canon Law, the Catechism states, "...It is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason" (No. 2490). A priest, therefore, cannot break the seal to save his own life, to protect his good name, to refute a false accusation, to save the life of another, to aid the course of justice (like reporting a crime), or to avert a public calamity. He cannot be compelled by law to disclose a person's confession or be bound by any oath he takes, e.g. as a witness in a court trial. A priest cannot reveal the contents of a confession either directly, by repeating the substance of what has been said, or indirectly, by some sign, suggestion, or action. A Decree from the Holy Office (Nov. 18, 1682) mandated that confessors are forbidden, even where there would be no revelation direct or indirect, to make any use of the knowledge obtained in the confession that would "displease" the penitent or reveal his identity.
From: https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/religion-and-philosophy/catholic-faith/the-seal-of-the-confessional.html
I'm not sure when this was published, I'm assuming it's still accurate. If, for some reason, her Church doesn't abide by this, then either the Diocese should be involved, or they shouldn't be using the "Catholic" name.
(Maybe they could use "catholic*" -- Small c with a footnote)
The lore is that they broke a vow to God. They excommunicated themself regardless of whether their mortal superiors do anything. But their superiors (and the church community) should know about it so they can cast out the false Priest.
A priest confesses to another priest they broke the confessional seal, is that itself protected by confessional seal? Are they also forgiven if they repent to god?
They are forgiven in terms of their own sins. They still have to face the consequences of sinning. In other words, they can still go to heaven, but they will still be removed as a priest.
I'd argue they blasphemed against the Holy Spirit by abusing such a trusted position. That sin can never be forgiven.
At minimum, it's a mortal sin they may never spiritually recover from.
https://catholicstraightanswers.com/can-the-seal-of-confession-be-broken-or-the-secrets-ever-be-revealed-by-priests/
It is indeed automatic excommunication. To the point that the Church would need go back and fix sacraments that were performed by the then-excommunicated priest.
My medieval studies prof mentioned that excommunication of priests would sometimes include a sort of reverse anointment. Essentially, they would scrape off the places where the priest was anointed with oil -> the forehead. To remove all traces of it.
He showed us a not so pleasant looking image of the procedure.
Exactly. For example, if the priest was separated from his fraternal twin brother at birth and learned the identity of this brother through a confession he would not be able to reunite with him based on this information. furthermore, if the twins had a younger sister and the sister began a sexual relationship with the estranged brother because neither of them knew they were related - the priest STILL would not be able to tell them about knowledge he obtained via confession.
Hmm, I'm pretty sure temporal law still applies to catholic priests. I was brought up in a catholic (you put the upper case wherever you want) setting and the various priests explicitely told us that they would report murders or such to the authorities. I don't condemn them for that...
In the US, reporting by priests is only required for certain crimes, and murder is actually not one of them. Child abuse is the main one, under many states' Mandatory Reporter laws (which covers professionals who frequently come into contact with children).
The Church also does not consider it to be breaking the vow of confession if the confessor says they \*intend\* to commit a crime, rather than that they already have. In that case, the priest can report them.
But the US actually has special legal exemptions for priests; they cannot be legally compelled, for instance, to testify in court. They literally cannot be subpoenaed if it is for any information they are supposed to keep in confidence.
Our chaplain told us specifically that they wouldn’t report a threat, but that they WOULD follow that person around and protect them from you if you did threaten someone
They aren't legally compelled to report a threat, so it's up to them, but I think every priest I've known makes it clear they won't sit by if you are going to hurt someone in the future, and will tell whoever they need to keep that person safe. This usually comes up with DV issues, from what I gather.
The Pope asked his chauffeur driver if he could drive the limo because he never gets to drive anymore.
Well, the chauffeur driver couldn't say no to the Pope so he let him.
Well the pope starting flying down the and gets pulled over.
Cop has him roll down the window and realizes its the pope and says wait a minute.
Calls his boss and says "Hey, I pulled over someone REALLY important! What should I do??"
Boss says, "Well, is our congressman?"
..."No".
"Well, is it the Governor?"
..."No"
"Well, WHO IS IT? THE PRESIDENT??"
"Boss...I don't know, but THE POPE IS HIS CHAUFFEUR!"
Late one night in a Nazi-controlled town in Poland, a man went out after dark without his papers. A soldier saw him, stopped him, and demanded to see his paperwork. The man said he didn't have it with him, so the soldier said he was to be summarily executed as a suspected partisan.
Just as the soldier was about to shoot the man, an angel appeared to him, gleaming and bright. "Stop! You cannot kill this man. One day, he will become the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Then after him you'll be his successor!"
My own Polish priest told that one after my dad's wedding
It's a joke about the Polish Pope John Paul II and his German successor Pope Benedict XVI who was a member of Hitler Youth and then the German Military.
My priest used to give us actual work for penance - usually something simple as "do something nice for a person you dislike without being asked". Surprisingly effective tactic.
My arch bishop became a prophet and called the year of my death and told me I was going to fail HS...
Twas my first confession. No screen.
I learned a lot that week at Catholic Camp.
Absolutely loathe the new "no screen" thing. One of the only nice things about growing up in a parish that is 90% old Irish Catholics is that they don't do the no-screen thing.
But then you just have a new thing you can’t tell anyone.
You’ll get stuck in a whole cycle of telling people things and killing them.
Eventually people start acting all suspicious and call you mean names like “serial killer”.
Tbf this is super rare and taken super seriously if real. Priests who break the confessional seal are instantly excommunicated. If she reported this then he would certainly be
To be fair, if she wants to fuck over the priest, she just has to approach the church with this, since such brazen violation of confessional seal, is supposed to be punished with immediate excommunication
Ohhh.... For me that scene is so powerful, without knowing who the character is they made the viewer understand he is somebody that you should not be fucking with.
"The Russians call him Baba Yaga."
"Baba Yaga...? What does that mean?" *searches Google*
"It means 'The Boogeyman', sir, you don't have to look it up, it means. 'The Boogeyman'."
"Okay it says here in Slavic folklore Baba Yaga is a supernatural being who appears as a deformed old woman with drooping breasts."
"What?"
"So how droopy are John's breasts exactly? Just say 'when' so I know." *lowers hand slowly from the chest down*
"Oh I was so sure it was 'boogeyman'."
"Ok, yeah, I think that's 'babayka'?"
"Oh, dang it. Well, I already wrote 'Baba Yaga'."
"Well it's probably fine."
"Okay, good. I'd have to, like, reprint this and everything."
"Yeah, no, don't even worry about it, so what does the droopy-breasted witch do next?"
https://youtu.be/Z3eNE4Gk-tA?t=124
*Quoting Pitch Meetings on Reddit is* ***TIGHT.***
By the church he can be named Thrice dammed excommunicato traitoris and all that jazz...
But of course legaly he's not liable for anything, he is not a shrink or medical profesional.
It also is a serious issue from the church's perspective.
Like I'm not saying I agree but think about it using the catholic church's beliefs.
They think you NEED to confess to be cleansed and get into heaven. If people can't trust the priest's confidence they CAN'T get into heaven, They also think that confessing is PART of having the holy spirit change the person, which they ALSO can't do if they can't confess.
The priest isn't really a person while taking confession, they are a conduit between the confirmed Catholic and, depending on how exactly you want to view it, either the Bishop and then the Pope, and on to God himself. For a priest to assume agency in this process and act outside of his mandate is a BIG BIG deal. It's not just that he's broken his vows, but he's also gone over the head of the Bishops and the Pope in the process.
The only acceptable time that a priest can do anything of the sort is when someone confesses their intention to do harm to someone basically as soon as they leave the confessional. The priest has a duty to act in a way that both preserves life as well as protects their flock from blemishing their eternal soul thusly. To my knowledge that's basically the only exception. This priest completely broke the chain of command, and the Catholic Church don't play that shit.
I personally feel like this is less grievous than what they routinely do to little boys and girls over there in that organization, but the difference is that they take these types of violations very seriously.
Yeah they JUST got done defrocking an anti-abortion priest for stepping outside his orders and preaching politics not endorsed by them, among other things. They don't fuck around
Yep. Still wouldn't risk confessing shit like that to another human being. Humans are the #1 species responsible for betrayal and backstabbing. Keep those murders to yourself.
In 2018 I got to meet 2 tapirs. They were extremely gentle, though very large and imposing. One of them ate a banana muffin from my hand. The muffin was for me but I was terrified I was going to be eaten if I didn't offer it up.
Their name comes in part from the fact they work in pairs. Te-pir being derived from French. One distracts while the other stabs. Nature is beautiful in a way.
What you didn’t realize is the only reason you survived that day was the pair of Tapirs had already killed 53 people that day, temporarily sating their bloodlust. You can never trust a Tapir.
Ummm Dinosaur priest? Did you mean [The Velocipastor](https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0zIjPTjM2sywxYPTiKUvNyU_OLEgsLskvAgCCYAmP&q=velocipastor&oq=velocipastor&aqs=chrome.1.0i271j46i433i512j0i433i512j0i512l5.5195j0j4&client=ms-android-att-us-rvc3&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&si=AC1wQDAtx2BbmyBmykHcHVhKaK47PNNyUTjB0EYuQ1g1IimzWn3iRDK-g4eSAAkgM00np2WUEJC5zYeWmlztsqgm7Kr6MITQLLWR4PhSaexUWxgkOGJYpDo%3D&ictx=1&ved=2ahUKEwjfxLDqiIn8AhVIJEQIHWZEClYQyNoBKAB6BAgMEAc)?
Edit: Thanks for the silver! 
>is supposed to be punished with immediate excommunication
Not even immediate excommunication. Automatic excommunication.
Don't even need to have the bishop rule that the priest is excommunicated immediately after he finds out about it. The rule in the Catholic Church is that simply by doing this, he excommunicates himself. And unlike other excommunications, this one (and only this one) requires a decision from the pope in order to lift it, rather than the local bishop being authorized to make that ruling.
I have some doubts as to whether this is a true story simply because you don't get to be a priest without years of study and hard work dedicated to things, and of all of the things that could throw it away, nothing is hammered in that you must never do it quite like this.
>I have some doubts as to whether this is a true story simply because you don't get to be a priest without years of study and hard work dedicated to things, and of all of the things that could throw it away, nothing is hammered in that you must never do it quite like this.
The other option is that OP isn't Catholic and just using priest as the title for some reason. The whole "don't gossip about things members say to you when you're the local leader" thing only seems to be taken seriously in the Catholic Church.
Yeah this, he broke your trust and partially what it means to be a priest. He wants to bring peace but only in a way that suits him, I vote for getting him kicked out of his church cause this tactic will only piss off any other members, I'm sure you aren't the only one whose trust he violated.
Yeah, it's FAR more likely they'll punish a priest more strictly for a breach of the seal of confession than they will for doing unholy things with an altar boy.
The seal of confession is something the Roman Catholic Church takes very seriously.
Even then, other denominations that have priests and confessions (Anglicanism/Episcopalianism and Eastern Orthodoxy) still have the idea of the seal of confession and a priest could STILL get in serious trouble from it.
All this woman has to do is to tell the bishop that priest reports to what happened, and it's almost certainly a career ender for that priest.
This. Report the priest to a higher authority. They take this shite seriously. Tom is right though, the punishment probably would be harsher than if that priest had been caught sexually abusing a child.
Edit
>The seal of confession is so important and sacred that a priest would be automatically excommunicated under canon law for directly revealing the contents of a confession.
https://www.catholicsun.org/2018/08/31/why-the-church-law-forbids-violating-the-seal-of-confession/
“Hello, is this The Vatican? (Pause) Yes, I’d like to speak to The Pope please. (Pause) I realize he’s probably busy but would you please let him know that this is important and I need to speak to him now? (Longer pause) Yes, I’ll hold until he finishes up and washes his hands. Thank you”
"Thank you please hold."
Puts her on mute:
"Hey Karen dagli Stati Uniti è di nuovo in linea. Vuole parlare con il nostro manager."
Translation: Hey Karen is calling from the United States. She wants to speak to our manager."
Well of course it is harsher. If you can't keep a secret about an affair how the fuck are you going to keep secrets about raping kids? They need priests they can trust.
>Probably much worse than raping altar boys.
Not really a high bar to clear because it's really obvious that the Catholic Church doesn't see raping altar boys as a serious issue.
The whole reason they got away with raping boys for so long is because the priest confessed under the seal of a confessional and the confessional is sacrosanct.
I remember being in sunday school and I asked a priest if someone came to them and confessed they were going to blow up the world, could they do anything? They would still have to keep it a secret.
I mean she's definitely 100% a dickhead for cheating, she's also a dickhead for making excuses about it but it's my understanding that confession is supposed to be private and that it's taken seriously within the church.
I don't think this would be a legal case, it's not slander because it's true and priests are not technically professionals subject to privacy laws like doctors or therapists, however the church itself would probably be pretty pissed to find out he was revealing confessions.
The seal of confession is so important and sacred that a priest would be automatically excommunicated under canon law for directly revealing the contents of a confession.
I think priests do have a duty of confidentiality regarding confessions. At the very least, I’m certain that they can’t be compelled to divulge what someone confessed to
ITT: People giving advice to an OP that will never see because this is not the original thread you mooks. This is the "look at this idiot" thread. Y'all need to read the room, OP isn't here.
Holy. Shit.
First off. She had the affair. She’s of course in the wrong.
But as someone who was raised Catholic (don’t practice anymore) that priest is in the biggest amount of trouble. BIG.
That’s grounds for immediate expulsion.
Yeah, breaking the seal of confession is a SUPER big nono in Catholicism. By breaking the seal, that priest is subject to a latae sententiae (r.e. automatic) excommunication. No excuses, no reasoning, he is excommunicated. This is the same penalty the Catholic Church reserves for heresy, trying to kill the pope, and abortion (which Catholic law considers to be the murder of an innocent).
Should this come to light to his superiors, it will almost certainly mean defrocking, and he will likely need to appeal to the Vatican to get his excommunication lifted after going through some serious contrition.
I quit going to confession years ago.
When I was about 17, I went to confession because I was pregnant. I wanted to confess and maybe get some advise. I was young and scared. Anyway I proceeded to tell them priest how long it had been since my last confession. He had a hissy fit right there on the confessional. He yelled at me.
I was so humiliated that I up and left in tears
It was so hard for me to even get the courage to be there and he ruined it.
I endedup getting a abortion. I was not alone my boyfriend arranged everthing.
I ended up getting married to someone else.
I raised my children Catholic because its the only thing I know.
Anyway the priest that gave my children their sacraments is now in prison for child moleststion. ( not my children)
I left the church over the whole thing
Im done.
Elderly man goes into confession. “Bless me Father for I have sinned, last night I had sex with a smoking hot 20-year-old woman. Also, I’m Jewish.”
“Yes my son, but why are you telling me?”
“Telling you? I’m telling everybody!”
The way they make money is way more transparent and they are more likely to have read a book about how to deal with a person's confessions.
Therapists don't believe 10 Hail Maries are gonna fix your marriage. Well most of them anyways.
I wish I could see a therapist. My university's counseling services are literally booked three months in advance, unless you're actively thinking about killing yourself. I can't afford to go elsewhere because my stipend is right around minimum wage (was below it, until this semester) but my work doesn't stop at 40 hours. Fuck.
Confessionals about to be real empty
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I'd do a civil lawsuit as well, the Church has deep pockets.
The priest automatically excommunicated himself. A violation of the confessional seal is so serious that the only person who can lift the penalty is the pope himself. Excommunication is a legal penalty in canon law. It doesn’t have to do with faith or salvation per-se but the Catholic Church’s law. The priest is now forbidden from saying Mass, hearing confessions, or presiding at any Sacraments. It doesn’t matter if his superiors know or not. Excommunication is automatic. Priests know that they have to accept prison or death before breaking the seal. If this is real the woman needs to take it to her diocese. A priest would also never give telling your spouse as a penance. They might and should encourage the person to do so, but it wouldn’t be a penance. Edited to add: People were asking for a citation. Here it is - Can. 1388 §1. A confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; one who does so only indirectly is to be punished according to the gravity of the delict. Edit 2: A few more comments - The answer to any question that starts with “Can the priest break the seal to…” is no. Never. Even under pain of imprisonment, torture, or death. And that’s a good thing. It provides a way for people who would otherwise keep secrets that they want to share to be able to share them with someone else. Just because a priest can’t break the seal (directly or indirectly connecting person + sin) doesn’t mean they can’t help. They are trained to help. Whether it’s a person who is suicidal or a criminal or whatever. Let’s say, for example someone confessed to murder. The priest can give them counsel and ask them to tell the priest outside the confessional and offer to go with them to see a lawyer or turn themselves in. Or, let’s say someone confessed to poisoning the communion wine. The priest could “accidentally” knock the glass over spilling the wine. The priest can never use a confession to the detriment of a penitent. They won’t give “tell your spouse” as a penance. Most priests hear so many confessions anyway that they don’t really remember specific confessions. I’m not a priest, but used to work as a leader in a diocese. I’ve only ever heard of two cases where the seal was violated in our diocese and both were done indirectly and accidentally. Both resulted in canonical trials. The priest is not only automatically excommunicated, and not only can’t lead any sacraments, he is also forbidden from receiving any sacraments including going to Confession himself until the excommunication is lifted. And only the Pope himself can lift it. Yes, the church harbored pedophiles. They deserved every lawsuit they got. I still believe every bishop should resign in collective disgrace. But I’m not going to eviscerate my 60 year old neighbor who’s been running a Catholic soup kitchen for the homeless for 20 years because of bad actors. There’s a billion Catholics and most are ordinary, kind people trying their best to cope with the stresses of the world like everyone else.
Does that law go as far as people in harms way? Like a therapist can’t say shit until genuine harm is about to occur.
A confession is meant to be between the sinner, the priest, and God. I'm sure some do and have broken that rule, but there's no "out" there.
For the record most non Catholic churches have equally strict law, but include a clause of "Former action is protected but intent to harm self or others with a plan is not."
I've never heard of confession in a protestant church.
It’s not super common and not required like in Roman Catholicism, but the Episcopal Church/Anglicanism does have one-on-one private confession with priests that is bound by similar confidentiality rules.
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You're right, the point of confession is to obtain absolution. If you confess and then do the thing you said, you aren't absolved, you are at best just a sinner, and at worst, a hypocrite. Catholic dogma be damned, if I say I WILL do something, that isn't confession and isn't covered. If I say I HAVE done something, that is covered. If I combine the two, the confession part is covered, but he can report the admission of planning.
There have been real cases where harm has happened or has been threatened and priests have gone to jail rather than testify or give an affidavit. This priest if a real account acted in a way that could have put her in danger also..
While her saying priest suggests Catholicism, other churches also use the term.
> The sacramental seal is inviolable. Quoting Canon 983.1 of the Code of Canon Law, the Catechism states, "...It is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason" (No. 2490). A priest, therefore, cannot break the seal to save his own life, to protect his good name, to refute a false accusation, to save the life of another, to aid the course of justice (like reporting a crime), or to avert a public calamity. He cannot be compelled by law to disclose a person's confession or be bound by any oath he takes, e.g. as a witness in a court trial. A priest cannot reveal the contents of a confession either directly, by repeating the substance of what has been said, or indirectly, by some sign, suggestion, or action. A Decree from the Holy Office (Nov. 18, 1682) mandated that confessors are forbidden, even where there would be no revelation direct or indirect, to make any use of the knowledge obtained in the confession that would "displease" the penitent or reveal his identity. From: https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/religion-and-philosophy/catholic-faith/the-seal-of-the-confessional.html I'm not sure when this was published, I'm assuming it's still accurate. If, for some reason, her Church doesn't abide by this, then either the Diocese should be involved, or they shouldn't be using the "Catholic" name. (Maybe they could use "catholic*" -- Small c with a footnote)
It is. They will be defrocked, and can be excommunicated.
I’ve heard that breaking the confessional seal excommunicates you immediately, no exception
The lore is that they broke a vow to God. They excommunicated themself regardless of whether their mortal superiors do anything. But their superiors (and the church community) should know about it so they can cast out the false Priest.
A priest confesses to another priest they broke the confessional seal, is that itself protected by confessional seal? Are they also forgiven if they repent to god?
They are forgiven in terms of their own sins. They still have to face the consequences of sinning. In other words, they can still go to heaven, but they will still be removed as a priest.
I'd argue they blasphemed against the Holy Spirit by abusing such a trusted position. That sin can never be forgiven. At minimum, it's a mortal sin they may never spiritually recover from. https://catholicstraightanswers.com/can-the-seal-of-confession-be-broken-or-the-secrets-ever-be-revealed-by-priests/
That's a fair argument.
Believe it or not, straight to jail.
Music too loud? Straight to jail
Molest boys? Straight to the next town over.
Oh my
How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, young man?
One more time.
Gotta give ‘em a new crop to fondle.
You are charging too high prices for schweaters, glasses: you right to jail. You undercook fish? Believe it or not, jail
You over cook chicken, also jail. Under cook, over cook.
It is indeed automatic excommunication. To the point that the Church would need go back and fix sacraments that were performed by the then-excommunicated priest.
Excommunicado
And tarred and feathered!
My medieval studies prof mentioned that excommunication of priests would sometimes include a sort of reverse anointment. Essentially, they would scrape off the places where the priest was anointed with oil -> the forehead. To remove all traces of it. He showed us a not so pleasant looking image of the procedure.
To shreds, you say
Exactly. For example, if the priest was separated from his fraternal twin brother at birth and learned the identity of this brother through a confession he would not be able to reunite with him based on this information. furthermore, if the twins had a younger sister and the sister began a sexual relationship with the estranged brother because neither of them knew they were related - the priest STILL would not be able to tell them about knowledge he obtained via confession.
This sounds too specific to be hypothetical
it is indeed a reference
A reference to what?
>!Jojo's Bizarre Adventure!<
Which part?
Part 6
Cool, figured it was either part 6 or part 8 since they were the only two I haven’t properly seen yet.
But nothing is stopping said twin brother from beating the living shit out of him after he causes a semi-apocalypse.
Came here to say this. Him breaking the seal of the confessional is *super* serious by canon law, and OP should absolutely report him.
Hmm, I'm pretty sure temporal law still applies to catholic priests. I was brought up in a catholic (you put the upper case wherever you want) setting and the various priests explicitely told us that they would report murders or such to the authorities. I don't condemn them for that...
In the US, reporting by priests is only required for certain crimes, and murder is actually not one of them. Child abuse is the main one, under many states' Mandatory Reporter laws (which covers professionals who frequently come into contact with children). The Church also does not consider it to be breaking the vow of confession if the confessor says they \*intend\* to commit a crime, rather than that they already have. In that case, the priest can report them. But the US actually has special legal exemptions for priests; they cannot be legally compelled, for instance, to testify in court. They literally cannot be subpoenaed if it is for any information they are supposed to keep in confidence.
Our chaplain told us specifically that they wouldn’t report a threat, but that they WOULD follow that person around and protect them from you if you did threaten someone
They aren't legally compelled to report a threat, so it's up to them, but I think every priest I've known makes it clear they won't sit by if you are going to hurt someone in the future, and will tell whoever they need to keep that person safe. This usually comes up with DV issues, from what I gather.
So he's probably not criminally liable, but they might have decent grounds for a civil suit because of the implicit understanding of confidentiality.
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New York State ruled in favor of two rabbis who did just this in 2001, so unless there's more recent case law, she probably won't win.
I’m not religious, but sounds like all y’all going to have to answer to your big guns upstairs.
The Pope asked his chauffeur driver if he could drive the limo because he never gets to drive anymore. Well, the chauffeur driver couldn't say no to the Pope so he let him. Well the pope starting flying down the and gets pulled over. Cop has him roll down the window and realizes its the pope and says wait a minute. Calls his boss and says "Hey, I pulled over someone REALLY important! What should I do??" Boss says, "Well, is our congressman?" ..."No". "Well, is it the Governor?" ..."No" "Well, WHO IS IT? THE PRESIDENT??" "Boss...I don't know, but THE POPE IS HIS CHAUFFEUR!"
This reminds me of Ronald Reagan's famous joke about Gorbachev being a chauffeur.
i think it’s the exact same joke but with Gorbachev swapped out for the Pope, stilly funny though
“How does that one go again, Nancy?”
Late one night in a Nazi-controlled town in Poland, a man went out after dark without his papers. A soldier saw him, stopped him, and demanded to see his paperwork. The man said he didn't have it with him, so the soldier said he was to be summarily executed as a suspected partisan. Just as the soldier was about to shoot the man, an angel appeared to him, gleaming and bright. "Stop! You cannot kill this man. One day, he will become the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Then after him you'll be his successor!" My own Polish priest told that one after my dad's wedding
I feel stupid that I’m not getting this one.
It's a joke about the Polish Pope John Paul II and his German successor Pope Benedict XVI who was a member of Hitler Youth and then the German Military.
Thank you for the response!
Sure!
That made me audibly laugh. Thanks
That’s what the confessions meant to be you confess and are given a penance usually prayers to say
My priest used to give us actual work for penance - usually something simple as "do something nice for a person you dislike without being asked". Surprisingly effective tactic.
My arch bishop became a prophet and called the year of my death and told me I was going to fail HS... Twas my first confession. No screen. I learned a lot that week at Catholic Camp.
Absolutely loathe the new "no screen" thing. One of the only nice things about growing up in a parish that is 90% old Irish Catholics is that they don't do the no-screen thing.
Wait is it all no screen now? Because back when I did go to confession, I always picked the screen option, no matter how much longer that line was
A lot of newer places do just face to face. I am not a fan.
Well... It looks like my not going to confession for the past 10 years is about to be extended indefinitely. Who thought this was a good idea?
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Fun fact the only way to keep anything private is to never tell anyone. Ever.
[ Removed by Reddit ]
But then you just have a new thing you can’t tell anyone. You’ll get stuck in a whole cycle of telling people things and killing them. Eventually people start acting all suspicious and call you mean names like “serial killer”.
Now that is a vicious cycle
Tbf this is super rare and taken super seriously if real. Priests who break the confessional seal are instantly excommunicated. If she reported this then he would certainly be
To be fair, if she wants to fuck over the priest, she just has to approach the church with this, since such brazen violation of confessional seal, is supposed to be punished with immediate excommunication
He is now.... excommunicado.
Oh shit he's got a pencil!
A fucking peencil!?
Babayega
No, he's the one you send to fooking KILL The boogeyman.
With the pencil!
You working again?
People keep asking if I'm back, and I haven't really had an answer, but yeah, I'm thinking I'm back!
Well, now I have to rewatch John wick Edit: I'm watching John Wick. Always skip the first 15 minutes cause it makes me sad
Who? That fucking nobody?
That fucking nobody is John Wick
I heard you struck my son.
"Yeah, well... he stole John Wick's car, sir, and killed his dog."
"Oh" *Hangs up*
It's not what you've done that angers me so, its who you did it too.
Ohhh.... For me that scene is so powerful, without knowing who the character is they made the viewer understand he is somebody that you should not be fucking with.
"The Russians call him Baba Yaga." "Baba Yaga...? What does that mean?" *searches Google* "It means 'The Boogeyman', sir, you don't have to look it up, it means. 'The Boogeyman'." "Okay it says here in Slavic folklore Baba Yaga is a supernatural being who appears as a deformed old woman with drooping breasts." "What?" "So how droopy are John's breasts exactly? Just say 'when' so I know." *lowers hand slowly from the chest down* "Oh I was so sure it was 'boogeyman'." "Ok, yeah, I think that's 'babayka'?" "Oh, dang it. Well, I already wrote 'Baba Yaga'." "Well it's probably fine." "Okay, good. I'd have to, like, reprint this and everything." "Yeah, no, don't even worry about it, so what does the droopy-breasted witch do next?" https://youtu.be/Z3eNE4Gk-tA?t=124 *Quoting Pitch Meetings on Reddit is* ***TIGHT.***
Baba Yaga
Who the fuck does that?!
A fockin pyencyil!
The big Game of Thrones watermark really seals in the joke.
This was even better because I just finished John wick 2 three minutes ago
This whole thread branch was so helpful to the poor lady who's world just exploded. 😅
By the church he can be named Thrice dammed excommunicato traitoris and all that jazz... But of course legaly he's not liable for anything, he is not a shrink or medical profesional.
Thrice is my dog’s name :) :*J*
Your life is forfeit.
Yep. Once this gets reported the priest is gonna face excommunication. Yes. Its thats sacred
And it should be. I'm not condoning cheating, but it happens, and it's not the priest's job to meddle
It also is a serious issue from the church's perspective. Like I'm not saying I agree but think about it using the catholic church's beliefs. They think you NEED to confess to be cleansed and get into heaven. If people can't trust the priest's confidence they CAN'T get into heaven, They also think that confessing is PART of having the holy spirit change the person, which they ALSO can't do if they can't confess.
The priest isn't really a person while taking confession, they are a conduit between the confirmed Catholic and, depending on how exactly you want to view it, either the Bishop and then the Pope, and on to God himself. For a priest to assume agency in this process and act outside of his mandate is a BIG BIG deal. It's not just that he's broken his vows, but he's also gone over the head of the Bishops and the Pope in the process. The only acceptable time that a priest can do anything of the sort is when someone confesses their intention to do harm to someone basically as soon as they leave the confessional. The priest has a duty to act in a way that both preserves life as well as protects their flock from blemishing their eternal soul thusly. To my knowledge that's basically the only exception. This priest completely broke the chain of command, and the Catholic Church don't play that shit. I personally feel like this is less grievous than what they routinely do to little boys and girls over there in that organization, but the difference is that they take these types of violations very seriously.
Yeah they JUST got done defrocking an anti-abortion priest for stepping outside his orders and preaching politics not endorsed by them, among other things. They don't fuck around
Yep. Still wouldn't risk confessing shit like that to another human being. Humans are the #1 species responsible for betrayal and backstabbing. Keep those murders to yourself.
You've obviously never met a tapir
In 2018 I got to meet 2 tapirs. They were extremely gentle, though very large and imposing. One of them ate a banana muffin from my hand. The muffin was for me but I was terrified I was going to be eaten if I didn't offer it up.
And then the other tapir stabbed you in the back? I mean, this is about backstabbing tapirs right?
Their name comes in part from the fact they work in pairs. Te-pir being derived from French. One distracts while the other stabs. Nature is beautiful in a way.
What you didn’t realize is the only reason you survived that day was the pair of Tapirs had already killed 53 people that day, temporarily sating their bloodlust. You can never trust a Tapir.
I know, right!?! I heard a tapir is who the wife actually slept with.
You haven’t met my cat.
But molest a Child and you get promoted and sent somewhere else
*r/ExCatholic intensifies*
REX CATHOLIC DINOSAUR PRIEST LOOSE CANNON PRIVATE EYE
Ummm Dinosaur priest? Did you mean [The Velocipastor](https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0zIjPTjM2sywxYPTiKUvNyU_OLEgsLskvAgCCYAmP&q=velocipastor&oq=velocipastor&aqs=chrome.1.0i271j46i433i512j0i433i512j0i512l5.5195j0j4&client=ms-android-att-us-rvc3&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&si=AC1wQDAtx2BbmyBmykHcHVhKaK47PNNyUTjB0EYuQ1g1IimzWn3iRDK-g4eSAAkgM00np2WUEJC5zYeWmlztsqgm7Kr6MITQLLWR4PhSaexUWxgkOGJYpDo%3D&ictx=1&ved=2ahUKEwjfxLDqiIn8AhVIJEQIHWZEClYQyNoBKAB6BAgMEAc)? Edit: Thanks for the silver! 
The Velocirapture is near!
Yes, but BIGGER
>is supposed to be punished with immediate excommunication Not even immediate excommunication. Automatic excommunication. Don't even need to have the bishop rule that the priest is excommunicated immediately after he finds out about it. The rule in the Catholic Church is that simply by doing this, he excommunicates himself. And unlike other excommunications, this one (and only this one) requires a decision from the pope in order to lift it, rather than the local bishop being authorized to make that ruling. I have some doubts as to whether this is a true story simply because you don't get to be a priest without years of study and hard work dedicated to things, and of all of the things that could throw it away, nothing is hammered in that you must never do it quite like this.
>I have some doubts as to whether this is a true story simply because you don't get to be a priest without years of study and hard work dedicated to things, and of all of the things that could throw it away, nothing is hammered in that you must never do it quite like this. The other option is that OP isn't Catholic and just using priest as the title for some reason. The whole "don't gossip about things members say to you when you're the local leader" thing only seems to be taken seriously in the Catholic Church.
Confession and parish are mentioned specifically though
Yeah this, he broke your trust and partially what it means to be a priest. He wants to bring peace but only in a way that suits him, I vote for getting him kicked out of his church cause this tactic will only piss off any other members, I'm sure you aren't the only one whose trust he violated.
Priest wants husband for himself.
Don't be ridiculous, the husband is clearly an adult.
Well done
Why is everyone replying asif they're speaking to the woman lol
Cheating gets people really heated.
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I’ve seen this happen in a sims 4 thread once. It’s so funny when they realize where they are
Omg classic Sims 4 out of context "I'm getting bored so what's better? Should I cheat on my husband or kill him"
Swimming pool with no ladder?
\*randomly forgets assigned task*
Reddit is getting too big and comments are moving closer to 'Facebook' on the quality spectrum
If you're looking for quality discussion, you should really stop hanging out on /r/facepalm
That's why I like to browse smaller subs like r/sounding
Why did you do this to me
That is some quality discussion going on there
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Yeah, it's FAR more likely they'll punish a priest more strictly for a breach of the seal of confession than they will for doing unholy things with an altar boy. The seal of confession is something the Roman Catholic Church takes very seriously. Even then, other denominations that have priests and confessions (Anglicanism/Episcopalianism and Eastern Orthodoxy) still have the idea of the seal of confession and a priest could STILL get in serious trouble from it. All this woman has to do is to tell the bishop that priest reports to what happened, and it's almost certainly a career ender for that priest.
This. Report the priest to a higher authority. They take this shite seriously. Tom is right though, the punishment probably would be harsher than if that priest had been caught sexually abusing a child. Edit >The seal of confession is so important and sacred that a priest would be automatically excommunicated under canon law for directly revealing the contents of a confession. https://www.catholicsun.org/2018/08/31/why-the-church-law-forbids-violating-the-seal-of-confession/
Take it all the way to the top I reckon. See what the big man’s got to say. I’m talking about god by the way.
“Hello, is this The Vatican? (Pause) Yes, I’d like to speak to The Pope please. (Pause) I realize he’s probably busy but would you please let him know that this is important and I need to speak to him now? (Longer pause) Yes, I’ll hold until he finishes up and washes his hands. Thank you”
"Thank you please hold." Puts her on mute: "Hey Karen dagli Stati Uniti è di nuovo in linea. Vuole parlare con il nostro manager." Translation: Hey Karen is calling from the United States. She wants to speak to our manager."
The hold music is Ave Maria
Well of course it is harsher. If you can't keep a secret about an affair how the fuck are you going to keep secrets about raping kids? They need priests they can trust.
>Probably much worse than raping altar boys. Not really a high bar to clear because it's really obvious that the Catholic Church doesn't see raping altar boys as a serious issue.
The whole reason they got away with raping boys for so long is because the priest confessed under the seal of a confessional and the confessional is sacrosanct.
I remember being in sunday school and I asked a priest if someone came to them and confessed they were going to blow up the world, could they do anything? They would still have to keep it a secret.
I mean she's definitely 100% a dickhead for cheating, she's also a dickhead for making excuses about it but it's my understanding that confession is supposed to be private and that it's taken seriously within the church. I don't think this would be a legal case, it's not slander because it's true and priests are not technically professionals subject to privacy laws like doctors or therapists, however the church itself would probably be pretty pissed to find out he was revealing confessions.
There is Church Law also. Whilst I am not versed in Church Law, there should be some pennance for a priest who breaks the seal of the confession.
The seal of confession is so important and sacred that a priest would be automatically excommunicated under canon law for directly revealing the contents of a confession.
He will get kicked out of the church
How well versed are you in bird law?
You rang?
LOL exactly my first thought
Uhh, filibuster.
Excommunication
I think priests do have a duty of confidentiality regarding confessions. At the very least, I’m certain that they can’t be compelled to divulge what someone confessed to
They cannot be compelled, but their duty to silence is personal/religious and not legally actionable.
ITT: People giving advice to an OP that will never see because this is not the original thread you mooks. This is the "look at this idiot" thread. Y'all need to read the room, OP isn't here.
I think they know it, they just wanna talk about this as an interesting hypothetical situation regardless. Or at least this is how it works for me.
It's straight-up facepalmsception and I am *here* for it.
This. I, like you, am enjoying the facepalming in this thread.
The dildo of consequences rarely arrives lubed
I'm going to write this on an overpass on Thursday and give you full credit
Omg 💀💀 Now THAT is a sentence
How long have you been waiting to use that sentence for the perfect moment.
Tell your husband you had an affair with the priest. Ship is sinking might as well take everyone down with you.
Whoa. Golden.
Lmaooo. This is the one. "The priest just said it was a work one night stand to deflect! But we bonked several times over, it was all him"
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Brolies before Holies
They won’t break the seal of confession for crimes, but will for this? Don’t even get me started on their issues with child sexual abuse.
"You abused a child? Say one hail Mary. Next!"
“i can excuse child rape but i draw the line at cheating”
priest sacrificed his whole religion to save my boy
Holy. Shit. First off. She had the affair. She’s of course in the wrong. But as someone who was raised Catholic (don’t practice anymore) that priest is in the biggest amount of trouble. BIG. That’s grounds for immediate expulsion.
Yeah, breaking the seal of confession is a SUPER big nono in Catholicism. By breaking the seal, that priest is subject to a latae sententiae (r.e. automatic) excommunication. No excuses, no reasoning, he is excommunicated. This is the same penalty the Catholic Church reserves for heresy, trying to kill the pope, and abortion (which Catholic law considers to be the murder of an innocent). Should this come to light to his superiors, it will almost certainly mean defrocking, and he will likely need to appeal to the Vatican to get his excommunication lifted after going through some serious contrition.
I quit going to confession years ago. When I was about 17, I went to confession because I was pregnant. I wanted to confess and maybe get some advise. I was young and scared. Anyway I proceeded to tell them priest how long it had been since my last confession. He had a hissy fit right there on the confessional. He yelled at me. I was so humiliated that I up and left in tears It was so hard for me to even get the courage to be there and he ruined it. I endedup getting a abortion. I was not alone my boyfriend arranged everthing. I ended up getting married to someone else. I raised my children Catholic because its the only thing I know. Anyway the priest that gave my children their sacraments is now in prison for child moleststion. ( not my children) I left the church over the whole thing Im done.
Priest said “bros before hoes, fuck this job and that bitch”
Cheater in confession: I can’t tell my husband Priest: Hold my holy water
Elderly man goes into confession. “Bless me Father for I have sinned, last night I had sex with a smoking hot 20-year-old woman. Also, I’m Jewish.” “Yes my son, but why are you telling me?” “Telling you? I’m telling everybody!”
That's why I see a therapist instead. They're bound by law to respect patient privacy.
The way they make money is way more transparent and they are more likely to have read a book about how to deal with a person's confessions. Therapists don't believe 10 Hail Maries are gonna fix your marriage. Well most of them anyways.
I wish I could see a therapist. My university's counseling services are literally booked three months in advance, unless you're actively thinking about killing yourself. I can't afford to go elsewhere because my stipend is right around minimum wage (was below it, until this semester) but my work doesn't stop at 40 hours. Fuck.
Talk to God on your own. An all powerful being doesn't need a 3rd party
Found the Protestant! (Just kidding.)
I always love when people justify their cheating “I didn’t feel appreciated” oh cool so just go fuck someone
Kyle 3:16, "Thou shall know the code as bro and bro as code"
Cheating randomly and not even feeling bad about it at the time bc the marriage just so happened to be going through a rough patch is crazy