Why I ought to (edit by Olm: please don’t discuss how to do illegal things or breaking forum rules here). That will sort them (edit by Olm: please don’t discuss how to do illegal things or breaking forum rules here) out
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Nope, Catholic priests are not allowed to reveal confessions to anyone, not law enforcement, not even the pope. They cannot reveal it even under torture. Consequence is quite harsh if discovered. This is why Catholics seem to cover for sex offenders, it may be that they can’t repeat confessions to anyone.
Doctors are bound by privacy law but there may be exceptions, but in general they don’t tell law enforcement about drug use. In the US HIPPA absolutely prohibits this.
I don’t know about Taiwan but confessions to priests are inadmissible in the court of law.
Confessions of sin and confessions of illegal activity are two different things.
Read the churches position on this. Confessions are sealed, may not be repeated to anyone.
While this is true, there are work around.
I use to live next door to two missionary priests, one was well established in the community, the other was learning the ropes so to say.
During one of our conversations this subject actually came up, I can’t remember the exact details but it’s something along the line of. Confession is sacred but not as sacred as human life, so if the person is deemed to be a danger to themselves or others, there is a process they follow that don’t brake the conversation itself. Apparently this is actually canon to the catholic belief.
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Usually in these instances the priest can require turning yourself to the law as penance. If you are serious enough to go to confessions, you probably will do as he says.
But I suppose they’ll always weight the harm and decide accordingly.
But for something like sexual preference or whatever, or money laundering related financial crimes, no freaking way.
Like if a priest revealed a person to be gay in Senegal and got a person murdered by the government, that priest is getting excommunicated.
I’m so glad there are still humans (or canaries at least) capable of creative writing. 
@discobot quote
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Nothing will work unless you do. — Maya Angelou
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In the United Kingdom a priest can be called to testify as to what was said in a confession , in the United States it varies by state. Some yes and some no.
Wikipedia says
" In California, absent waivers, Cal. Evid. Code § 912, both clergy and penitent – whether or not parties to the action – have the privilege to refuse to disclose a “penitential” communication. Cal. Evid. Code §§ 1033–34.[28]
In twenty-five states, the clergyman–communicant statutory privilege does not clearly indicate who holds the privilege. In seventeen states, the penitent’s right to hold the privilege is clearly stated. In only six states, both a penitent and a member of the clergy are expressly allowed by the statute to hold the privilege."
The fact people talk about me with pissing boys convinces me my back story is rock fucking solid 
Keep em confused. When I die, you will see I was a priest all along.
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Other denominations may be ok with this but not Catholics as far as I know. The state won’t do anything, but the priest will probably be excommunicated. There’s probably exceptional circumstances but I’ll have to find out what that is. I mean priests have been tortured and killed for refusing to talk.
Maybe they could then try and seek forgiveness from the pope, but no idea how likely that is. Only the pope can pardon something this bad.
Because otherwise who would confess?
That could be interpreted several ways… 
Bullshit. In the end the priest answers to his own conscience. Of course he can go to the police. He gets to weigh the consequences of action vs inaction like every single human being who has ever been entrusted with a secret.
I think @Taiwan_Luthiers is right.
Never thought I’d say that.
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In what time frame? I’d like to confess something to a gay female priest, but I wouldn’t want her to catch hell for it or be tortured. It’s really bad!
I don’t have a time machine and I doubt there were gay female priests in 900AD anyway , but I don’t wanna take any chances. 
Yup on this one he’s pretty much correct. My answers were focusing on the legal aspects of “Do they have to by law”. In some places yes and some no.
Incidentally many protestant denominations have confession also. The priests I grew up around would stick to their principles under torture and death. Confessions are very safe not entirely but pretty much. First there is the legal squabble around even if they can be put in the witness box and secondly even if you forced them in there they could just say “No comment, no comment , no comment .”(In the UK you do not have the right to remain silent).
Sorry I need some corroboration on priests being tortured to death. Note the priest obviously isn’t an eye witness and doesn’t have to take the stand. He can just disclose the information to the police who then investigate further. The police are not obligated to say, sorry we can’t listen to you father since this was a confession booth ah confession.
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They are supposed to be at least. Many a person has a breaking point. Sometimes biology prevails and pain is just too much. Other times, people stick to their guns and death occurs befire said breaking point. This isn’t really controversial in any field. Be it religious, business, war, politics etc.
Probably fair to say that priests have been brain washed far harder and with more sophisticated and evolved mechanisms that makes them way harder to break than say some oppoetunistic greedy drug dealer without an ethical bone in their body. But, there are still priests that are typically human as well. I know one that let our family know about another person, broke his oath. In order to help that person. There always seem to be justified exceptions 
In the end, we are all simple animals doing animal things. Not really that special other than our own arrogance about how special we are.
