Diocese of Canterbury Issues Confessional Advice to Priests

By Joe Wright
Kent Online
June 13, 2018

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/priests-told-to-divulge-secrets-184516/

Church leaders have come under fire for advising priests to divulge the secrets of confession in special circumstances.

The Diocese of Canterbury, which covers Maidstone, Thanet and Ashford, has been accused of breaching canon law for telling clergy to inform the authorities should they fear for a person's safety.

The guidelines were drawn up after a local priest felt compromised when someone revealed details about ongoing abuse.

Someone taking confession. Stock image

Now those taking confession must be told beforehand: “If you touch on any matter in your confession that raises a concern about the wellbeing or safeguarding of another person or yourself, I am duty-bound to pass that information on to the relevant agencies, which means that I am unable to keep such information confidential.”

Critics say the advice goes beyond what is required under canon law.

Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy, published in 2015, state that if someone makes a confession with the intention of receiving absolution the priest “is forbidden to reveal or make known to any person what has been confessed”.

They add: “If, in the context of such a confession, the penitent discloses that he or she has committed a serious crime, such as the abuse of children or vulnerable adults, the priest must require the penitent to report his or her conduct to the police or other statutory authority.

"If the penitent refuses to do so the priest should withhold absolution.”

Forward in Faith, a group of Anglo-Catholics within the Church of England, has called for “urgent action” to bring the Diocese “back into conformity with canon law”.