The Roman Catholic Church's rite of confession must remain confidential, even if someone tells a priest that a child has been abused, the bishop who leads Vermont's diocese testified Friday.
Bishop Christopher Coyne told the state Senate Judiciary Committee that the church is opposed to a bill that would remove an exemption from Vermont's child abuse and neglect reporting laws. Clergy are currently not required to report potential evidence of such crimes if they learn of it in confidence while acting as a spiritual advisor.
