About Catholic Confession and it's privacy?

Question

Okay totally random question. I am not of the Catholic faith or else I'd probably be able to answer my own question. Okay so, I am watching Prison Break the second season. Anyway if an escaped convict that was on America's Most Wanted came to a church to confess their wrongs. Or even like a murder suspect came to confess they had killed. Is the priest liable to inform the police? If the police questioned one, would they have to tell?

Answer 1

Absolutely under no circumstance would they be liable to inform anyone of any such information.  Religion is very much separated from such matters.  Though the priest would encourage the person to turn himself in but they would never break that privacy.

Answer 2

They would have to say that they were there. But like the priest does have the right to stay silence...that is my guess. The priest could decide either way.

=D

Answer 3

Priests can be subpoenaed, the law isn't required to bend to adhere to religious beliefs and/or rules.

Answer 4

A Priest cannot tell any living soul, not even the Pope, anything that is said in confession, under the pains of excommunication, whih can only be lifted by the Pope. the seal of the confession is absolute. And almost every government in the world ackowledges this. In the United States for example, a Priest cannot be compelled to reveal something said in confession, its a federal law that protects the Priest.