BURLINGTON (VT)
New York Daily News
March 3, 2023
By Muri Assunção
The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Vermont told state lawmakers Friday that the church opposes a bill that would remove clergy exemptions for reporting cases of child abuse and neglect to police.
Bishop Christopher Coyne, who has served as the bishop of the Diocese of Burlington since 2015, testified before the Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee that the church’s rite of confession must remain confidential — even when cases of child abuse are revealed.
“A priest faces excommunication if he discloses the communication made to him during confession,” Coyne said. “And the sacramental seal of confession is the worldwide law of the Catholic Church, not just the diocese of Burlington, Vermont.”
The Diocese of Burlington serves all 14 counties of the state of Vermont.
According to current state law, members of the clergy are obligated to report abuse and neglect, but it adds an exemption for when they’re acting as spiritual advisers or hearing a confession.
But a bill introduced by state Sen. Richard Sears, a Democrat who has worked for years to fight child abuse, seeks to do away with those exemptions. State lawmakers are currently holding hearings on the proposal before putting it to a vote.
The bill “crosses a Constitutional protective element of our religious faith: the right to worship as we see fit,” Coyne testified Friday.
But he noted that when priests receive any information on child abuse or neglect outside the rite of confession, they are encouraged to report it.
Vermont is one of 33 states with exemptions for clergy in laws trequire some professionals — such as teachers and physicians — to report alleged cases of child sex abuse or neglect to authorities.statutes,” he said.
And while protecting vulnerable children is essential, “disregarding fundamental religious rights is unnecessary,” he added.
Vermont is one of 33 states with exemptions for clergy in laws that require some professionals — such as teachers and physicians — to report alleged cases of child sex abuse or neglect to authorities.