Bishop Barron on California’s Attack on Confession

by Bishop Robert Barron . May 22, 2019 .

SB 360, a piece of proposed legislation currently making its way through the California state senate, should alarm not only every Catholic in the country, but indeed the adepts of any religion. In California, as in almost every other state, clergy members (along with a variety of other professionals, including physicians, social workers, teachers, and therapists) are mandated reporters—which is to say, they are legally required to report any case of suspected child abuse or neglect to law enforcement. However, California clergy who come by this knowledge in the context of “penitential communication” are currently exempted from the requirement. SB 360 would remove the exemption.

“At the Offertory, Therefore . . .”

by Dr. Tom Neal . May 15, 2019 .

The New Jerusalem

by Bishop Robert Barron . May 19, 2019 .

The second reading for this Sunday, taken from the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Revelation, completes the Biblical story. The Bible tells us that the world will be transformed into a new heaven and a new earth through the One who "makes all things new."

Antonio Cuipa and Companions

by Fr. Blake Britton . May 14, 2019 .

It’s Time for Catholics (and All Religious People) to Wake Up: The Real Danger Posed by the California Confession Bill

by Bishop Robert Barron . May 7, 2019 .

SB 360, a piece of proposed legislation currently making its way through the California state senate, should alarm not only every Catholic in the country, but indeed the adepts of any religion. In California, as in almost every other state, clergy members (along with a variety of other professionals, including physicians, social workers, teachers, and therapists) are mandated reporters—which is to say, they are legally required to report any case of suspected child abuse or neglect to law enforcement. However, California clergy who come by this knowledge in the context of “penitential communication” are currently exempted from the requirement. SB 360 would remove the exemption.

Es hora de que todos los católicos (y todo quien profese alguna religión) reaccione: El gran peligro que presenta el proyecto de ley de confesiones de California

by Bishop Robert Barron . May 7, 2019 .

SB 360, una ley propuesta recientemente y que va en camino al senado estatal de California, no solo debería alarmar a los católicos del país, sino también a adeptos de todas las religiones. En California, como en casi cualquier otro estado, los clérigos (junto con una gran variedad de otros profesionales, que incluye a doctores, trabajadores sociales, maestros y terapeutas) son informantes por mandato; lo que quiere decir que están obligados a informar de cualquier caso o sospecha de abuso infantil o de negligencia en la aplicación de la ley. Sin embargo, cuando un clérigo en California adquiere este conocimiento en el contexto de una “comunicación penitencial” está exento de dicha obligación. SB 360 eliminaría la exención.