Interesting Links for 27-04-2012

[andrewducker]

• Game of Thrones as a metaphor for US politics (funny)
  (tags: funny usa politics GameOfThones )
• Amazing time-lapse footage of the Earth from the ISS.
  (tags: earth space iss video )
• You can now buy Star Wars figures for characters that only appeared in deleted scenes
  (tags: toys merchandising starwars )
• I worry that we're going to find something

Comments

[bart_calendar]

I always thought the standard for Priests reporting things in confession was the same as that for psychologists and psychiatrists.

I.e. if someone tells their shrink or their priest about something they have already done they are not required to report it, because it's something that can't be prevented.

However, if the person tells the priest or shrink about an act of violence or sexual abuse they plan to do in the future then they are required to report it because that could prevent it.

I think that's what the Biship is getting at when he says that they have no problem reporting things as long as they are not said in the confessional. For example, when I was a young Catholic boy I can remember telling a priest in confession that I was planning on cheating on a test. He stopped me cold and told me that I had to talk to him about it outside the confessional. I did so and he had no problem at all telling my dad what I'd said.

The confessional is for shit you've already done and having a shield for that makes sense - but the priests should get the molester the fuck out of the confessional booth when he's not confessing his sins but instead planning sins.

[cartesiandaemon]

That would make sense.

I imagine the grey area would be someone confessing that they'd repeatedly done something illegal, such that the confessor will guess they probably will do it again whether they intend to or not.

Although I'm not sure if the furoror is over what the rules actually are, or rather over a suggestion (very true, but probably somewhat inflated by anti-catholic feeling) that many priests will overlook evidence about molestation which they wouldn't overlook about eg murder.

[bart_calendar]

If you confess to a murder or other violent crimes a priest won't report it. (Otherwise much of Northern Ireland would have had to give up their faith.)

It's only if you say you are going to murder someone that they will report it - and they still have to get you to say it outside the confessional booth (which wouldn't be that hard with someone very Catholic. You just have say "we need to talk about his in the rectory.)