UPDATE: Archbishop Jerome Listecki has issued a statement on Fr. James E. Connell. In his statement, Abp. Listecki removed Fr. Connell’s canonical faculties to hear confessions and ordered him to “cease all such erroneous communications that distort the teachings of the Church about the confessional seal.” Please read Abp. Listecki’s full statement, offer a Rosary on his behalf, and send him a note to thank him for his swift, bold and strong defense of the Seal of Confession.
The original story:
A retired Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has called upon the people of the State of Delaware to support HB-74, which would require priests to report issues of child abuse or neglect should it be mentioned in the confessional. Originally published in USA Today, Fr. James E. Connell penned an Op-Ed titled, “Why Delaware’s clergy-penitent privilege law should be repealed,” wherein he concluded that, “all people in Delaware should support the proposed HB 74 that would repeal the Delaware clergy-penitent privilege statute.”
Fr. Connell argues that:
“no valid freedom of religion argument rooted in the absence of truth can provide a moral justification for sheltering perpetrators of abuse or neglect of children from their deserved punishment, while also endangering potential victims.”
As such, he concludes that:
“governments should intervene such that, while perhaps frustrating the free exercise of religion for some people, the greater good of protecting children from abuse or neglect would be enhanced for the common good of all people.”
Currently, three other states are also considering laws that would force priests to violate the seal of confession; Utah, Vermont, and Washington.
Fr. Connell, a Chicago divorcee who was ordained to the priesthood in 1987, is a canon lawyer who served as the Vice Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee from 1994-2012. After being appointed to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s sexual abuse review board in 2003 by Archbishop Timothy Dolan, he has been active in what he calls “victim advocacy” since at least 2010 when he started meeting with members of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), the same organization that accused him of acting to cover up sex abuse by priests in October of 2009.
In 2012, Fr. Connell spoke at an event hosted by Voice of the Faithful, an organization intimately connected to the notorious Association of US Catholic Priests, discussing his “new mission” to speak out on behalf of victims of sexual abuse by priests.
In 2013, Fr. Connell became a founding steering committee member of Catholic Whistleblowers, an organization that describes itself as “a network of current and former priests, women religious, brothers, deacons, and laypersons who actively support survivors of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.”
Fr. Connell first attacked the seal of confession in 2018 when he wrote an Op-Ed for the National Catholic Reporter titled, “Now is the time to modify the Catholic Church’s ‘seal of confession’.” In this essay, Fr. Connell argues that “sexual abusers go unreported to civil and church authorities” because “Catholic Church law unconditionally forbids any priest from betraying a penitent, for any reason whatsoever.” He suggests that the Church’s use of public penances for certain crimes is an indication that the seal of confession is “not a matter of divine law,” and therefore Pope Francis:
“should release from the seal of confession all information regarding sexual abuse of a minor or a vulnerable adult so that this information may be provided to civil and church authorities.”
In May of 2019, Fr. Connell sued the States of Wisconsin, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Vermont, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to revoke constitutional protections for the seal of confession. The Court’s order to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice states:
“Plaintiff seeks to challenge “the constitutionality of the use of a clergy-penitent privilege within State mandatory report of child abuse or neglect laws and related Rules of Evidence laws.” (Docket #1 at 7). Each of the States has enacted laws requiring certain persons to report suspected child abuse. Id. However, each state has also provided that members of the clergy are prohibited from reporting such conduct if the information arose in a confession or other confidential religious setting. Id. Plaintiff claims that this use of the clergy-penitent privilege violates the substantive due process rights of children under the Fifth Amendment, by depriving children of a vital source of protection against abusers. Id. He contends that the harm created by using the privilege in this way outweighs the interests in freedom of religion embodied in the States’ approach to clergy abuse reporting. Id at 8. Plaintiff seeks declaratory judgment that the subject laws are unconstitutional. Id. at 9.” (emphasis added)
It should be noted that since the filing of this lawsuit, attempts have been made by legislators in Wisconsin, Arizona, California, Delaware, and Vermont to violate the protection of the confessional, as if those state’s legislators are taking up the gauntlet thrown down by Fr. Connell.
While it is undeniable that there is a deep crisis within the Church regarding the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by priests, it is equally undeniable that Fr. Connell is attacking the sacrament of Confession itself by suggesting that the seal could, and even SHOULD be broken for certain crimes. And what’s worse is that his attacks are being actualized by state legislators.
What is particularly galling about this situation is that good priests who wish to uphold the Church’s teachings against the sexual perversions of homosexuality and transgender ideologies, stand against politicians who promote moral abominations while receiving Holy Communion, or wish to celebrate the Ancient Rite of the Mass in Latin are being suspended, removed from parishes, and persecuted, while priests like Fr. Connell are allowed to remain “in good standing” without so much as a word of condemnation from the hierarchy.
The Lepanto Institute is calling on faithful Catholics everywhere to contact the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for the silencing and sanctioning of Fr. Connell. What he is doing poses a clear and present danger to the free practice of the Catholic Faith and he MUST be stopped!
Contact the Archdiocese!
Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
[email protected]
Gwen Fastabend
Secretary to the Archbishop
414-769-3497
[email protected]
Barbara Anne Cusack
Chancellor
414-769-3341
[email protected]
Rev. Ricardo Martin
Vice-Chancellor
414-769-3307
[email protected]
Vicar for Ordained and Lay Ecclesial Ministry
Very Rev. Nathan Reesman
Vicar for Clergy
414-769-3490
[email protected]
Minister to Priests
Rev. Alan Veik, OFMCap
414-305-3384
[email protected]
It is sad your organization is promoting the Catholic Church to protect child molesters. What has happened to some in the world, today, that child molestation is acceptable. That is the message you are sending, that child molestation is acceptable. So sad that this is what the Catholic Church has come to.
Because you do not agree with me on this topic, I am sure you will not post my Reply. So are you afraid of the truth?
You are falsely equivocating the defense of the seal of Confession with some kind of defense of child molesters. Defending the confidentiality of the confessional is not in opposition to the fight against child molesters; these two things are not mutually exclusive. Furthermore, what do you suppose will actually happen should the seal of confession be compromised? Do you actually think child molesters will be inclined to go to confession if they believed the priest would then report the molester? And if priests were breaking the seal of the confessional regarding child molesters, how long do you think it will be before they start reporting murderers, thieves, vandals, and other types of sins? And what do you suppose that would do to the sacrament of confession at all? Who would go? Would anyone?
So, what, exactly, is accomplished here? The only thing such measures would accomplish is that the Catholics would stop going to the Sacrament of Confession because they would no longer believe that their confessions would be secret.
Well said. I suppose many if not most non-Catholics wouldn’t see Catholics abandoning the sacrament of confession (or the Church in general, for that matter) as a bad thing, though.
That’s why what Fr. Connell is ultimately doing is attacking the Sacrament of Confession, itself. This is a diabolical scheme, designed in Hell, to act as a deterrent for penitents to go to Confession. This is how the devil will land the most souls in Hell as possible. It is also a sign of the devil’s desperation, knowing that his time is very short.
Spot on Michael. Forget the Dr. and PhD Mrs. Doris. Both titles perhaps only in areas of woke studies, like writing and spelling.
God bless.
And with all of the marxist/social warrior/idealog priests & bishops how long till there is no seal at all.
Dr. Mann. Thank God you are not a priest and never can be. Stick to medicine.
Mann with a meaningless degree in Bellarmine PhD Education and Social Change, is not a Medical Doctor or even a valid academic. She is a teacher with a meaningless and useless degree in being a leftist scold. I wonder when the last time she went to confession, and she would not be so cavalier about giving the state access to our Priests.
p.s. Real academics with meaningful Doctorates never put Dr. before their name with a PhD. after it. Medical Doctors limit their titles to M.D.
Andrews, I loved your witty response, which I noted only after posting my own. Well said.
We shall not leave such a nonsensical comment unanswered. Dr. Doris is simply an exhibit of contemporary blown out wokeness. Apage Satanas!
Most molesters are homosexual, and the John Jay study showed around 80%. So if anyone supports homosexual behaviour, they actually promote most of the abuse. Do you support homosexual behavior?
If abusers believe they are not protected, they can simply avoid Confession. This won’t help anyone. What will actually happen if the Seal of the Confession is no longer legally protected is that innocent priests will be falsely accused of not reporting things heard in Confession and be unable to defend themselves, since any defense would involve breaking the Seal.
Doris,
Eighty-four percent of all claims of abuse were homosexual acts with post pubescent males, 14% with post pubescent females and 2% with pre-pubescent males. So effectively you claim concern for “Child” abuse and wish to deny Catholic the protection from self-incrimination by the intrusive state by violating the ban of Confession when Pederasty is a widespread cultural phenomenon that is ignored and dismissed in every other institution unless there is a large cash settlement available to Lawyers specializing in this form of extortion.
I am in favor of criminalizing all homosexual activity and restricting homosexuals from the Catholic Priesthood and any occupation with access to susceptible males to protect Children and punish men who violate the innocence of boys. How serious are you?
This is NOT what ‘the Catholic Church has come to’. It is what She has always been about. Child molestation is NOT acceptable to the Catholic Church. You obviously do NOT understand the Catholic Church or the Sacrament of Penance or the Seal of Confession. You might spend some time researching it and consider removing your post. God bless you and enlighten you.
And, the with-the-titles-sandwiched dear woman, as you can see, Lepanto has published your woke blabber. Perhaps also, it is meant as a testimony to & of your deficient competency in the domain of morality, Catholic Church, traditions, theology and apostolic teaching. The latter is called Magisterium. Therefore: please upgrade. Update. Back to the Primary School.
Not saying what this priest is doing is the answer, but due to the seal of confession, McCarrick and others like him can use the sacrament as a means to commit the perfect crime. Abuse someone, confess it to another priest, then lord it over them that they can never tell. Can you imagine the burden that would be placed on a priest in a situation like that? I don’t agree that the state should be a able to compel a priest to break the seal of the confessional but the Church should allow for it in those circumstances to protect the vulnerable and root out evil
Chad
I have been a priest for nearly 40 years and NEVER has anything like that been confessed to me nor have I ever heard of such a thing. That’s Hitchcock material
Did you ever meet McCarrick? I have multiple times and he was always obviously a vile and corrupt man not merely a homosexual. He surrounded himself with fellow travelers and enriched them with gifts and positions of status. I doubt most of the claims about him abusing boys because he didn’t need to.
I also have the distinction of being the only American who continues to pray a rosary for him every week as documented by the website https://rosaryforthebishop.org/statistics/mccarrick
I wonder what GOD thinks of this ploy to discourage people from confessing their sins to a priest. It is JESUS CHRIST, not the priest, who absolves the sinner of his – crimes. One goes to Confession to acknowledge his sins to GOD, seeking pardon from GOD, through the ministration of the ordained priest. When The priest says, “I absolve your sins….” It is JESUS, the Eternal High Priest who washes away his sins through the outpouring of His Most Previous Blood.
There is an assumption here that all the priests hearing confessions know the identities of each and all persons confessing their sins. We are not obliged to identify ourselves to the priest when we go to confession unless we choose to do so. The priest does not have to forgive the confessed sins if he doesn’t believe the penitent is truly sorry for what he/she confessed. Jesus told the apostles that the sins they forgive would be forgiven, but the sins they do not forgive will not be forgiven.