Catholic Confession

[philamena]

Why is the priest saying he was deceived & that he will take what the McCanns told him to his grave? This is implying that he knows something!
If they did not confess killing madeleine to him why the heck doesn't he just come out & say that? That would not break any seal of confession as there was no confession made!

You said everything I wanted to say.
I simply don't understand why the priest said he was deceived if he's not going to reveal who deceived him and why. Can we assume he's referring to the McCann's deceiving him?

 

[CaliKid]

Why is the priest saying he was deceived & that he will take what the McCanns told him to his grave? This is implying that he knows something!
If they did not confess killing madeleine to him why the heck doesn't he just come out & say that? That would not break any seal of confession as there was no confession made!

I agree. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it almost sounds as if he's saying in a round-about way that either the McCanns did confess or he suspects they hurt Madeleine.

 

[AlohaGal]

Some Catholics actually LIE to the PRIEST in Confession!

That's a very judgemental statement....

So....I can say:
There are some CHRISTIANS that judge others without cause.
/s

PH that is an awful, awful statement to make. I just hope YOU aren't judged at THE GATES, the same way that you judge others.

Aloha kakou and no that ain't a catholic lie.
Pagan at the most, without judging others.

 

[AlohaGal]

Some Catholics actually LIE to the PRIEST in Confession!

Oh by the way, forgot to add:
LINK please....

 

[Barnaby]

You said everything I wanted to say.
I simply don't understand why the priest say he was deceived if he's not going to reveal who deceived him and why. Can we assume he's referring to the McCann's deceiving him?

I think we can assume that he is referring to the McCanns deceiving him which is implying that he helped them under false pretences, believing them to be the innocent victims of a kidnapping. If the priest did say this & it is not just another media lie then he most certainly should clarify. He would not neccessarily feel that he had been deceived unless he had some concrete proof, I mean the McCanns are suspects but not proven guilty. The Christian thing to do would be for him to give the benefit of the doubt. He is leading people to believe that he knows something & if not true that is very wrong!
Why not a statement to say "The McCanns did not confess the murder/accidental death of Madeleine to me!" He is allowed to do that if true & if they did then by implying that they did he is actually breaking the seal of confession so he may as well just tell all or keep his mouth shut!

 

[hcc2007]

I think we can assume that he is referring to the McCanns deceiving him which is implying that he helped them under false pretences, believing them to be the innocent victims of a kidnapping. If the priest did say this & it is not just another media lie then he most certainly should clarify. He would not neccessarily feel that he had been deceived unless he had some concrete proof, I mean the McCanns are suspects but not proven guilty. The Christian thing to do would be for him to give the benefit of the doubt. He is leading people to believe that he knows something & if not true that is very wrong!
Why not a statement to say "The McCanns did not confess the murder/accidental death of Madeleine to me!" He is allowed to do that if true & if they did then by implying that they did he is actually breaking the seal of confession so he may as well just tell all or keep his mouth shut!

-- Good point! I think a lot of people closely associated with this case are learning, the hard way, to keep their mouths shut.

-- I see two options for explaining the whole priest business (IF what we have heard is true):

a) The priest felt deceived at the moment he learned the McCanns were official arguidos, precisely because they had confessed nothing at all related to Madeleine. Or maybe Kate confessed something worthy of being kept secret (she slapped her children occasionally, or wishes she'd never had them), something bad but not murder. But then the priest learns that the PJ have something on them, and he's thinking "... and they didn't tell me about it?!?"

b) The other option that would explain "torment", "keeping secrets" and "being deceived" is this: Kate confessed not that either of them did it, but that she SUSPECTED Gerry of having done it. That would lead to much torment because it's only a suspicion and there's nothing really the Priest, or anyone else, can do. You just have live with this horrible gnawing suspicion. The reason he felt deceived, then, is that the police and the whole case (not to mention media and public opinion) point to Kate as the culprit. So he would feel deceived that she told him she was suspecting Gerry when really she is the main suspect.

 

[Barnaby]

I really don't think he would come out with the statement that he had been deceived if he didn't know anything. I mean the PJ could be accusing them falsely, they could be perfectly innocent so the fact that they had been made arguidos would not neccessarily make them guilty therefore until they are proven guilty then the priest has no grounds to say that he has been deceived. KWIM?

 

[philamena]

I think we can assume that he is referring to the McCanns deceiving him which is implying that he helped them under false pretences, believing them to be the innocent victims of a kidnapping. If the priest ....

phew....lol now I'm more confused than ever.
If the McCann's asked him for help and he denied them help, he did nothing wrong.
But if he helped them do anything illegal then he'll be in deep dodo if the McCann's are charged with anything, right?

 

[Tuba]

If either of the parents had confessed to Father Pacheco, he should not feel deceived. Only if he believed them innocent because they had not made such a confession. Then, at the same time they were declared arguidos, he is appalled and he disappears and he has only recently returned. I think he is another member of the public which has in some sizeable part turned on the McCanns since they became LE suspects. In the U.S.A. and U.K., one is innocent until the prosecution proves guilt but other countries do not abide by that principle. Even here, trial by media is what happens in high profile cases in reality. Father Pacheco's bishop also reprimanded him for indulging the parents when the glare of suspicion lit upon them. He probably felt the weight of authority was against the McCanns. Both clergy and law enforcers respond to higher authority. One last problem. I don't speak Portuguese but in French the word disappointed and the word deceived are the same (decu with a cedilla).

 

[Dr. Creepin]

Gerry called for the priest at 4:00am on the night Maddy vanished. People only usually do this when they need the Last Rites or an exorcism! When the McCann's went to meet the Pope to have her picture blessed, they wore all black, funeral clothes. I think the priest meant he was deceived because he believed Madeleine had been abducted.

 

[daffodil]

Gerry called for the priest at 4:00am on the night Maddy vanished. People only usually do this when they need the Last Rites or an exorcism! When the McCann's went to meet the Pope to have her picture blessed, they wore all black, funeral clothes. I think the priest meant he was deceived because he believed Madeleine had been abducted.

I am sure they wore those clothes as a mark of respect for the position of the Pope,it would hardly have been appropriate to go in shorts and sun top would it.IMO

 

[Tuba]

The McCanns may have traveled in black suits but that is not what they are wearing in the footage of the papal encounter and blessing of Madeleine's photograph. Memory snippet...the first tracking dogs followed the scent of Madeleine outside the apartment and over to the church parking area, where it was lost.

 

[daffodil]

The McCanns may have traveled in black suits but that is not what they are wearing in the footage of the papal encounter and blessing of Madeleine's photograph. Memory snippet...the first tracking dogs followed the scent of Madeleine outside the apartment and over to the church parking area, where it was lost.

What were they wearing? I saw news footage of them and Kate had on a black suit and white blouse.

 

[Pinkhammer]

Catholics never lie? In or out of confession? Are you serious?

Not a judgment...a fact.

Otherwise, why would the Catechism have to remind us that lying in Confession is a mortal sin? If no one ever did it, they wouldn't have to mention it.

That's a very judgemental statement....

So....I can say:
There are some CHRISTIANS that judge others without cause.
/s

PH that is an awful, awful statement to make. I just hope YOU aren't judged at THE GATES, the same way that you judge others.

Aloha kakou and no that ain't a catholic lie.
Pagan at the most, without judging others.

 

[sandraladeda]

If either of the parents had confessed to Father Pacheco, he should not feel deceived. Only if he believed them innocent because they had not made such a confession. Then, at the same time they were declared arguidos, he is appalled and he disappears and he has only recently returned. I think he is another member of the public which has in some sizeable part turned on the McCanns since they became LE suspects. In the U.S.A. and U.K., one is innocent until the prosecution proves guilt but other countries do not abide by that principle. Even here, trial by media is what happens in high profile cases in reality. Father Pacheco's bishop also reprimanded him for indulging the parents when the glare of suspicion lit upon them. He probably felt the weight of authority was against the McCanns. Both clergy and law enforcers respond to higher authority. One last problem. I don't speak Portuguese but in French the word disappointed and the word deceived are the same (decu with a cedilla).

I would be highly surprised at a Catholic priest who would "turn on the McCanns", whatever the circumstances. A priest would not abandon or "turn on" anyone. If either of the McCanns are guilty of anything, or if the priest has any inkling that they are guilty, this does not take away from their need for support and spiritual guidance from a priest, in fact, I am sure he would feel they need his guidanc more than ever. It would change the nature of the counsel they receive from the priest, but no priest would write someone off for turning out guilty in a case like this. If the priest ever claimed to have been deceived, I have a feeling the statement has been taken out of context.

imoco
(in my own Catholic opinion)

 

[MREG2]

MREG2 - good job you didn't have to phone your pastor to enquire about the "seal of the confessional" - he would have been worried what you were going to tell him

LOL!!! Yes he would have....

Actually I emailed my hubby and all I asked was if you confessed murder to a priest could he turn you in. Needless to say I got a prompt reply back.

 

[mlefey]

I am just a lurker who is curious


Why can not the priest be "tortured" because someone else confessed and he cannot tell?
also, would anyone confess to a priest if they did not have a vow of silence?
would your lawyer accused you of guilt even if he/she knew?
I recall a journalist not long ago going to jail before disclosing sources.
If in some cases is ok to break the ethics, where is the line drawn?