Priests And Bishops Going To Jail

The Chinese continue their persecution of the Church. First, as everyone is aware, they continue to consecrate bishops for their schismatic national church. Second, those bishops who are loyal to the True Church are kidnapped.

Four bishops loyal to the Vatican have been "taken away" by Chinese police in recent days to take part in a state-sanctioned ordination, the Catholic news agency AsiaNews said on Monday.

"Nobody knows where the four pastors are being held," the report said, adding that local sources had told AsiaNews that one of the bishops "was sobbing last night as he was dragged away by government representatives."

I wonder if anyone at Notre Dame has noticed this. They recently stopped using Chinese-made products in the Book Store there because of the Chinese government's stance against workers' unions. Apparently, compulsory abortions and the arrest/torture/murder of fellow Catholics wasn't important enough to merit such action. But I digress...

Up next on the block are priests in Ireland. That's right. Ireland.

Priests will not be excused for withholding information about alleged child abuse even if it is given to them during the holy sacrament of confession, Justice Minster Alan Shatter has said.

In an unprecedented display of tough action against the Catholic Church in Ireland, new laws are to be brought in by autumn which could see clerics and others imprisoned for up to five years if they do not volunteer information about suspected paedophilia.

Note the language (which admittedly may or may not be accurate). This is an affirmative duty to report suspected behavior. In other words, a priest can be prosecuted for not coming forward about something that is not even actually true, but merely alleged or possible. And, of course, who is to say that the priest knew anything? Since the information is passed on the privacy of the confessional anyway, the only persons having knowledge of the communication will be the priest and the penitent. What evidence will be allowed to show the priest's "guilt"?

To be fair, the article says they are going after doctors for this as well. I guess that makes it ok, then.