Comments on A law student's thoughts on proposals in Ireland to compromise ConfessionTypePad2012-04-30T14:04:55ZRick Garnetthttps://mirrorofjustice.blogs.com/mirrorofjustice/tag:typepad.com,2003:https://mirrorofjustice.blogs.com/mirrorofjustice/2012/04/a-law-students-thoughts-on-proposals-in-ireland-to-compromise-confession/comments/atom.xml/David Nickol commented on 'A law student's thoughts on proposals in Ireland to compromise Confession'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d834515a9a69e20168eaefddc4970c2012-04-30T15:28:47Z2012-05-02T18:41:13ZDavid Nickolhttp://www.religiousleftlaw.comI think the key sentence in the linked article is, "The priest also observed that an obligation to break the...<p>I think the key sentence in the linked article is, "The priest also observed that an obligation to break the seal was 'something that cannot be enforced' in practice, due to the anonymity of most confessions." A number of states in the US have laws that mandate reporting of child abuse from which clergy are not exempt. I don't believe there has ever been a situation in which a priest has been pressured to break the seal of confession. Legislation that would require, even in theory, a priest to break the seal of confession is odious, but I can't imagine any priests will wind up in legal jeopardy from it. I have a feeling that mandatory reporting laws are much more problematic for therapists. </p>