UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter
Thomas Reese | Feb. 13, 2015
Can the content of a confession be revealed in court? Must a priest report to police information about the abuse of a minor that he hears in confession? Can a priest reveal what he was told in confession if the penitent gives him permission?
These issues are being debated because of a court case involving the diocese of Baton Rouge, La.
The case involves the 2008 confession of a then-14-year-old girl, Rebecca Mayeux. She says she told Fr. Jeff Bayhi, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Zachary, La., on three different occasions that she was kissed and fondled by a now-dead lay member of the parish.
According to the Times-Picayune, the parents of the minor say the priest in the confessional told the girl to deal with it herself because “too many people would be hurt.” The girl said, “He just said, ‘This is your problem. Sweep it under the floor.’ ”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.