Can a priest break the seal of confession? If someone confessed to a murder, could the priest go to the police with the information? If someone confessed to planning a robbery, could the priest warn the intended victims? If someone confessed to abusing a child, could the priest act to get that child out of the situation? If someone confessed a plan to commit suicide, could the priest have the person committed to hospital for their own safety?
Signed, Curious

Dear Curious,

The short answer to your question is “No!” A priest must not, under any circumstance break the seal of confession or in any way betray the penitent for any reason, whether by word or any other fashion. (see canon 983)

The examples you raise are good ones because they stretch the bond of trust between the confessor and the penitent to its very limit. In seminary, part of our course work in Reconciliation was to watch the Hitchcock film “I Confess” which brings your example of murder and confession to life. In the film a priest finds himself the prime suspect in a murder case and is unable to defend himself with the knowledge that the real killer has confessed to him the crime for which the priest stands accused. While such confessional stories are rare, they highlight the strength of the bond between priest and penitent.

The absolute trust in the seal comes from the Sacramental nature of the conversation. One who confesses speaks openly from the depths of the heart as if speaking to Christ himself, in the person of the priest. It is the priest’s duty to respect that sacred conversation and to divulge any part of it would be sacrilege. This stresses the importance of maintaining the proper context for the confession. Canon 964 reminds us that the proper place for a confession is in a Church and preferably in a confessional room. This emphasizes the difference between sacramental reconciliation and counseling. Counselors, even if they are priests, are compelled by law to disclose threats against others or situations of child abuse, confessors are not, although there have been some legal cases where this has been challenged.

But what about the victims? Does the seal of the confessional go beyond the boundaries of common sense? This is where the priest must understand his full duty and responsibility in the confessional. A confessor is not just a healer but also a judge. Whenever there is sin there is also a failure of justice. If I were the priest in the examples you mention in your question I would find it of extreme importance to address the injustice caused by the actions of the penitent. These are no “say three Hail Marys” venial sins. They are serious violations against other people and possibly against the penitent him/herself. My role would be to walk with the penitent in the midst of some very difficult decision making, seeing them as the creation of God that they are but challenging them to uphold that dignity by doing what is right, by coming forward or seeking the proper help.

aka Fr. Jon C.Ss.R.