Louisiana Judge Rules That Priests Don’t Have to Report Abuse if They Hear It During Confession

[whatthehey]

33. OK, but even if you prefer the ethical angle, about which I agree FWIW

we must still consider the legal one.

You could not possibly give fewer fucks about the reason for Catholic doctrine than I do, but it's an incontrovertible fact that the sanctity of confession, its impoortance in canon law, and its vital nature for the purpose of the clergy is a considerable part of the free exercise of Catholicism, and if we say that can be overridden for legal convenience then it's goodbye 1A, which is the ONLY thing preventing us from being a theocracy. There is no other country where the populace is as religiously credulous and fundamentalist as this one which is NOT governed as a theocratic state. The nation as a whole wants to be one which is the main reason we had to win the rights to abortion and equal marriage in the courts not the ballot box. You really think the 78% Christian supermajority wouldn't vote for enforced Christianity, and that the 90%+ Christian GOP wouldn't put it before them if they thought it aould not be struck down?


The same thing that prevents that prevents us telling Catholics they can stick their Canon Law and sacrament of penance where the sun don't shine or go to jail.