The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1912-08-31
VIOLATION or THt CONFESSIONAL
~ REv. JAMES a o'ooxxon.

q sibiy b. committed by pny
priest OF bishop and ia universally
recognized AZ such b. al classes of
people Of an religions. or no religion
az all n the ethics governing the
professions OF medicine aud Law In
this matter are rightly held 20 b. 20
rigidly binding. how much more 30
should they b REGARDED b. those
Who have 10 do with the welfare Of
the soul. and those In hlsh places
In the church that claims 10 be the
only true church % Christi
And yet the violation OF the comics.
sional is something that happens
every day In cases where the inter.
rats of the Roman church are con.
oerned. This vas brought home 10
me even when I was only a young
priest ! once confessed TO an older
priest, who revealed what had told
him on that occasion. I vas very
angry, and told him that n I pressed
The matter against him he would be
accommodated. and he probably
would have been. The books OF the.
clogy, however. are FUN Of cases In
which this ofiense against common
morals IL Justified.
In many instances Il has resulted
In the loss OF virtue on the part OF
women. ! have known two cases
myself A girl In Paterson. n. j.. ap.
pealed to me saying that she had been
betrayed by a priest az a result OF
what she had told him In confession.
wrote TO her that unless he mar.
ried her I would have him put In jnil
In twenty.four hours. lie did 30, and
left the church,
The other case was OF lady living
up the state. ! tod her that unless
the priest married her within a month
would publish his name. lie asked
10 be removed from his parish. and
his wish was granted The lady wrote
me again. and told her to follow the
priest up and demand an acknowl.
edgement OF her wifehood by him.
She did 40. but was met az the door
OF his house by his sister. who re.
fused TO admit her. In three weeks
the priest was dead.
q. The matter above referred TO was
the occasion OF the only difference I
ever had with my bishop. because
would not report upon the doings OF
my brother priests. He asked me
why | would not tell him these things.
replied. "lf. when you ordained me
you had told me that you would want
me TO act the part OF spy. would
have refused ordination" tie then
said that I was bad" priest.
.,Duld not stand that. and told him
Fnat ! was as good a man sasehe was
He then said he did not mean that
was a bad man, but that had not the
proper ecclesiastical spirit. and he
added, 1T doesn't matter much. be
cause ! am sure TO hear anyway.
And he did.
This was one OF the things that dis.
gusted me with that chnrch while |
was stlll priest in H. And this reli.
gious spying, and reporting. goes on
all the time. There ls not a family
or a business house In New York
City that has Roman Catholic EN-.
ployees concerning which Information
is not continually sent TO Archbishop
Farley on matters that may affect the
welfare Of the church. " there are
exceptions In individual cases u ls
only because the eonfessor does not
.sSk the necessary questions. II he
docs ask questions or that kind
the penitent is compelled TO answer
them upon pain Of being refused alb
solution.
Secular priests like to go to the
holy father TO make confession rather
than their brother priests. because
they regard them as somewhat holier,
and also as being less likely TO take
advantage OF knowledge obtained in
that way. used 10 go TO the Jesuits
because I thought them the wisest.
Whom ! was a young priest on one oc-
casion. az eleven o'clock at night,
after l. had been hearing confessions
for several hours, a woman came 10
me and in her confession said that
she had poisoned her husband twenty
years before, obtaining thereby S2O,.
600. ] told her that she must make
restitution OF that money. and she re.
piled that she had spent II all. I then
told her ] would put her back for a
weeks time. aud then make a gener.
III confession. and II she was truly
repentant would give her absolutiOn.
When ! asked my Jesuit confessor
what ought 20 do. he said. What
can you do7 The thing can't be
helped now. anyway" ! may add that
The woman never came back.
have the Life Of Cardinal Man.
Ming" By Purcell. before me, and also
several Latin books which treat OF
the seal OF the confessional. and the
circumstances under which Il may be
violated for the good OF the church.
When Manning went To Rome to at.
tend the Vatican council OF 1870, he
and all the other cardinals took a
solemn oath not to reveal any OF the
proceedings that took place; yet Pur.
cell tells us that every Saturday Man.
ming used to go outside OF Rome and
confer with Lord Odo Russell. who
was a Kind OF pseudo-diplomati
agent OF the British government. and
learn. in return for information he
gave. the views OF the British govern.
ment Manning declared that he had
a dispensation from the pope TO per.
form this breach Of the oath OF si.
lence. Lord Russell was not a Ro-
man Catholic himself. but was a type
OF the sort OF Protestant that the Ro.
man church. from the pope down,
nrefora IN nae "a n fO0l IN ffa oufn