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Author Topic: Anyone follow Fr Ripperger here ?  (Read 36792 times)

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Re: Anyone follow Fr Ripperger here ?
« Reply #200 on: October 18, 2022, 12:52:57 PM »
I hope this isn’t considered rude to bump things like this on here but I just read something in one of my kiddo’s religion books that I wanted to share.  This is from The Means of Grace by Rev. John Laux, M.A. Imprimatur Francis W. Howard Bishop of Covington, March 25, 1932: “Those who are tempted to conceal any sin through false shame, should remember that the confessor is bound by the seal of confession never to reveal the least thing heard in confession or to make any use whatever of such knowledge.”  So just for the record, no use whatever of such knowledge.

Re: Anyone follow Fr Ripperger here ?
« Reply #201 on: October 18, 2022, 01:33:10 PM »
I hope this isn’t considered rude to bump things like this on here but I just read something in one of my kiddo’s religion books that I wanted to share.  This is from The Means of Grace by Rev. John Laux, M.A. Imprimatur Francis W. Howard Bishop of Covington, March 25, 1932: “Those who are tempted to conceal any sin through false shame, should remember that the confessor is bound by the seal of confession never to reveal the least thing heard in confession or to make any use whatever of such knowledge.”  So just for the record, no use whatever of such knowledge.
Hi Melanie, was your post in reference to another post on the thread ? 

No big deal, just curious.


Offline Ladislaus

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Re: Anyone follow Fr Ripperger here ?
« Reply #202 on: October 18, 2022, 06:53:15 PM »
I hope this isn’t considered rude to bump things like this on here but I just read something in one of my kiddo’s religion books that I wanted to share.  This is from The Means of Grace by Rev. John Laux, M.A. Imprimatur Francis W. Howard Bishop of Covington, March 25, 1932: “Those who are tempted to conceal any sin through false shame, should remember that the confessor is bound by the seal of confession never to reveal the least thing heard in confession or to make any use whatever of such knowledge.”  So just for the record, no use whatever of such knowledge.

So much so that if a penitent came and confessed that he was a serial killer who had murdered 100 people, and the confessor judged him likely to murder more, he could not report the man to the authorities.

I'm trying to jog my memory, but I recall recently seeing a story where some "confessor" ratted out a penitent and had him arrested for some crime.

Re: Anyone follow Fr Ripperger here ?
« Reply #203 on: October 18, 2022, 07:25:35 PM »
So much so that if a penitent came and confessed that he was a serial killer who had murdered 100 people, and the confessor judged him likely to murder more, he could not report the man to the authorities.

I'm trying to jog my memory, but I recall recently seeing a story where some "confessor" ratted out a penitent and had him arrested for some crime.
If the confessor judged him likely to murder again, would that not make the confession null because the penitent lacks the firm purpose of sinning no more? Would the seal of confession still apply here?

Somewhat unrelated, but an interesting thing I read today that I hadn't thought of before:


"May a priest in a court of justice make known what he has learned in the confessional?


No; and if he is questioned, he ought to declare to the judge, with an oath if that be necessary, that he knows nothing of the subject in question. For what he learns through the confession of a penitent, he knows not as man, but as a representative of God, and in this quality he is not subject to the jurisdiction of the judge."

From the Exposition of Christian Doctrine Part III "Worship"

Offline Ladislaus

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Re: Anyone follow Fr Ripperger here ?
« Reply #204 on: October 18, 2022, 07:29:59 PM »
If the confessor judged him likely to murder again, would that not make the confession null because the penitent lacks the firm purpose of sinning no more? Would the seal of confession still apply here?

Somewhat unrelated, but an interesting thing I read today that I hadn't thought of before:


"May a priest in a court of justice make known what he has learned in the confessional?


No; and if he is questioned, he ought to declare to the judge, with an oath if that be necessary, that he knows nothing of the subject in question. For what he learns through the confession of a penitent, he knows not as man, but as a representative of God, and in this quality he is not subject to the jurisdiction of the judge."

From the Exposition of Christian Doctrine Part III "Worship"

No, even if the priest judges that the penitent has no purpose of amendment, he can't act on it.  I suspect it's a different issue if someone went to a priest and clearly had no intention to confess, i.e. just went into a confessional to taunt the priest, but I'm not sure if even in that case the priest would be permitted to reveal it.  Most of us are likely to sin again.

But the principle there is interesting, essentially saying that the priest can "lie" under oath.  We have a big thread on lying here before, where I suggested that a complete mental reservation is permitted with the reserved, "as far as you're concered" ... if the person has no right to the information.  That seems to be implied here with this advice.