Utah bill -- abuse reporting

[Nofear]

If I'm (very quickly) reading this right, the Utah bill hasn't passed yet but it would protect clergy from reporting abuse though it would not mandate such reporting. Currently if clergy violate the clergy-penitent privilege they can be sued (I believe, somebody correct me if I'm wrong).

Utah House Judiciary Committee approves bill that would allow clergy to report child abuse
 

[TheTanakas]

53 minutes ago, Nofear said:

If I'm (very quickly) reading this right, the Utah bill hasn't passed yet but it would protect clergy from reporting abuse though it would not mandate such reporting. Currently if clergy violate the clergy-penitent privilege they can be sued (I believe, somebody correct me if I'm wrong).

Utah House Judiciary Committee approves bill that would allow clergy to report child abuse
 

Utah’s law also exempts clergy from reporting information about abuse obtained through private confessions.

They need to get rid of that too.

[rpn]

The Church has given its support (or at least not opposed).   It doesn't compel reporting.   But it does protect clergy from any legal problems if they do report (which means no one can sue them (and recovery anything) for doing so.  

Of course those legal provisions don't protect bishops from being released as bishop for violating a confessional or from membership withdrawal:   I don't think we should assume that the Church will be okay with bishops reporting unless or until the Church takes that position and gives written notice of it.

Catholic priests would be excommunicated if they violated the confessional.

Edited February 15, 2024 by rpn

[Calm]

11 minutes ago, rpn said:

The Church has given its support (or at least not opposed).   It doesn't compel reporting.   But it does protect clergy from any legal problems if they do report (which means no one can sue them (and recovery anything) for doing so.  

Of course those legal provisions don't protect bishops from being released as bishop for violating a confessional or from membership withdrawal:   I don't think we should assume that the Church will be okay with bishops reporting unless or until the Church takes that position and gives written notice of it.

Catholic priests would be excommunicated if they violated the confessional.

I wouldn’t look on release as a punishment but a reward if I was ever in the position that I needed to report something.  As long as a temple recommend wasn’t pulled, it seems an okay compromise as in let those who are bishops decide for themselves without risk to the rest of their life as well as their family (getting sued can screw up one’s  life even if one wins in the end) even if the Church as a whole protects the option. 

Edited February 15, 2024 by Calm