SALEM, Ore. (CNS) — When Ethan K. Alano walks into the reconciliation room at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Salem, he bares his soul before God and goes into detail about his sins during confession. Alano’s trust in the priest is solid. He is certain that anything he says …
By Chaz Muth (via Catholic News Service) NEW YORK (CNS) — A symbol of the historical commitment priests have to the seal of confession greets people as they cross the threshold of a Catholic church in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Above the door is a stone-carved image of St. John …
By Chaz Muth (via Catholic News Service) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CNS) — When Catholic clergy, penitents, theologians and canon lawyers look at the wording in a California state bill that would compel a priest to reveal what’s heard during confession if there is a suspicion of child sexual abuse, they see …
By Chaz Muth (via Catholic News Service) WASHINGTON (CNS) — For centuries, the Catholic Church has maintained that what a penitent says to a priest in the confessional is strictly confidential, but in 2019 that rite continues to be challenged by governments. Church scholars assert the concept of the seal …
