PROPOSED KENTUCKY LEGISLATION ATTACKS PRIEST-PENITENT SECRECY

FRANKFORT, Kentucky, January 13, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Kentucky State Democratic Rep Susan Westrom has introduced legislation to strip the ancient right of total confidentiality of confession to a priest.  The legislation would amend the state’s “clergy-penitent privilege” so that “The privilege shall not extend to any communication relating to the neglect or abuse of a minor child.”  Catholic League president William Donohue spoke to this issue saying, “This bill does not touch tangentially on church-state relations – it cuts to the core.  The sanctity of the confessional is one of the most important elements of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Indeed, it is impossible to fathom how the sacrament could operate if the government is permitted to penetrate the privacy of the priest-penitent relationship.  At stake is both the religious liberty clause of the First Amendment and the establishment clause.”  See coverage from the Gleaner:  https://www.myinky.com/ecp/gleaner_news/article/0,1626,ECP_4476_1665703,00.html