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Seal of Confession: the public interest in confidential communications

Seal of Confession is the second paper in the PM Glynn Institute Occasional Paper Series. It unpacks the significance of confession for Catholics and the individual and social goods it serves.

It takes the reader on an intellectual journey about the nature of confidential communications and the public interest in protecting them, before proposing that we rethink the seal of confession as another example of confidential communications and a public interest.

Seal of Confession is intended to contribute to deeper thinking and renewed conversations about this central party of the Catholic faith, and its intersection with important issues confronting Australian society, in a way that contributes to a positive and respectful public debate.

Seal of Confession has been prepared by Damien Freeman and Joseph Doyle under the guidance of an advisory committee comprising: Dr Michael Casey, Professor Michele Riondino, The Reverend Dr Ormond Rush, Dr Bernadette Tobin, Dr Patrick Quirk and Jeremy Stuparich (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference).

The pamphlet was printed in 2020 and will formally launched in 2021.

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