LOUISIANA
Tri-Parish Times
By THE REV. WILMER L. TODD Guest Columnist
An interesting Court Case that reached the Louisiana Supreme Court involved the seal of confession.
A 14-year-old female said she told her confessor, the Rev. Jeff Bayhi, in 2008 she had been sexually abused. Bayhi was the pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Zachary, Louisiana, and its mission, Our Lady of the Assumption.
Now 20, the female plaintiff sought to have to court compel testimony from Bayhi as to whether or not she had confessed and, if so, to detail the contents of the confessions.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge issued the following statement: “The case in question does not involve any charges against any clergy, religious or a paid staff member of the diocese. The Church has great compassion for those who have experienced such egregious misconduct.
“The issue before the District Court, the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court assaults the heart of a fundamental doctrine of the Catholic faith as relating to the absolute seal of sacred communications (Confession/Sacrament of Reconciliation).
“The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that the seal of confession preempted the Civil Court from ordering the priest to testify about whether or not there was a confession and, if so, what was the content. The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit dismissed the case against both Fr. Bayhi and the Catholic Church of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
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