Arizona Democrat vows renewed assault on Seal of Confession despite repeated failures

For years, Democrat Stacey Travers has been obsessively focused on violating the rights of Catholics, including confessors and penitents, to have the Seal of Confession protected. The state representative has gone so far as to make offensive comments about Church leadership, suggesting the Catholic Church tries to “hide behind the sanctity of the Confessional” and that it is not really concerned about “absolution.”

Travers proposed House Bill 2039, which would have ordered priests to report any time that they learn of alleged “ongoing abuse” or even the “threat” of abuse in the confessional. It failed earlier this year.

If it had become law, those who failed to abide by the measure would be found guilty of a class 6 felony, which would have carried fines up to $150,000 and two years in prison. However, that is just for a first offense. Priests who might have continued to violate the law, as required by canon law and the Catholic Church, could face years in prison, as LifeSiteNews previously reported.

Recently, the state’s highest court upheld the rights of ministers in the Mormon church to protect confidential communications made to them. While the communications are not the Sacrament of Confession, the legal ruling would apply to the Catholic Church as well.

None of this has deterred Travers in her battle against the Catholic faith.

“Travers said she is looking to renew her effort when the Legislature reconvenes in January, particularly in the wake of a new Arizona Supreme Court ruling saying it is up to each religion to decide what is a confession or confidential communication that creates an exception from other laws that require people to report what they know,” Ahwatukee Foothills News reported on August 16.

In fresh comments, she again showed an incomplete understanding of the Sacrament of Confession.

The news outlet reported:

“There is a special case when you’re confessing to somebody in your religious organization and there is a search for absolution and contrition,’’ she said. “And somebody should be afforded that.’’

But her legislation would address situations where a congregant comes in, confesses to ongoing child abuse and does so with the assurance that no one will file a report. That, she said, is “conditional’’ confession.

“I’m going to tell you that I’m going to keep doing this to absolve myself so that I can go to heaven,’’ Travers said is the situation. “But if I’m doing any jail time? No, buddy, I’m not doing that.’’

Travers also denied that the Seal of Confession is “divine law” and claimed, according to the media outlet, “the idea of secret confession didn’t exist in the Catholic Church until the 12th century.”

This is incorrect; binding canon laws on the matter may have begun in the 12th and 13th century, but English law recognized the right in the 900s.

Indeed, “private confession existed from the very beginning of the Church,” although in certain, publicly scandalous cases such as murder or adultery, public confession was used. Desert monks in Egypt confessed their venial sins in private in the 3rd century.

Along the way Travers has been blocked by a courageous Catholic legislator, Quang Nguyen.

“I’m going to be very frank about this,” he said, “this bill has absolutely zero to do with reporting crimes because duty to report already exists in the state of Arizona, just not in the confessional booth,” Nguyen previously told LifeSiteNews. “That is all.… This is a way to go out and destroy our Church. Nothing more, nothing less.”

As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Nguyen has blocked hearings on the proposal.

He told the Ahwatukee Foothills News he does not plan to budge.

“Nguyen offers no apology for killing her legislation, saying that, as a Catholic, he will do nothing to undermine the sacrament of confession,” the outlet reported. “He said if Travers finds the issue so important she will have to wait until 2029, when he is no longer a legislator, for any chance of a hearing.”