An Atheist Defends Confession

For what it's worth, I thought that parts of this editorial from Brian O'Neill were very well-stated. He discusses, sometimes irreverently and colorfully, the push in Ireland to force priests to violate the seal of confession. Hopefully, through the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman, O'Neill will return to the faith of his fathers.

From the Telegraph:

Now, as it happens, I am not the confessing type. As a severely lapsed Catholic and now immoveable atheist, I haven’t been inside a confessional since I was 17 years old. ... But there are millions upon millions of people for whom confession is a central part of their faith, and for whom absolute privacy is a central part of confession. They believe, and should have every right to believe, that the confessional facilitates communication with God, providing a tiny, darkened space, utterly cut off from the world, where they can offload their various horrors and heartbreaks in private. For the state to invade this space, to colonise it on the basis that it is a sinister place where lurid stories about paedophilia might be swapped between a pervert and his priest, is an attack on freedom of religion. ...

Often, a priest will tell those who confess to criminal activity that absolution depends upon them handing themselves over to the secular authorities. Priests don’t simply hear penitents talk about child sexual abuse and then tell them: “Say 10 Our Fathers.”