Looking back at Father Cutie abandoning the catholic church leaves me wondering if his vows as a catholic priest still apply. Is he now free to reveal the sins we confessed to him or does the sacramental seal still apply? Are the episcopalian priets also bound by the same seal? Do they have the sacrament of penance like we do? If the seal no longer applies and he can reveal our sins to anyone could make it hard us to go confession from now on.

Thank you for your time. God Bless

Hi Anonymous,

Any priest, regardless of his decisions after being a Catholic priest in good standing, remains bound by the solemn obligation to never betray any penitent's confessional matter. In the moral forum it still obliges. Given that he is no longer a Catholic, we must trust that he will no betray the confessions of those Catholics who came to him under the seal of confession. Of course, from a Catholic perspective, the seal still applies, but since he is no longer a Catholic priest in good standing, there is nothing that can be done if he did betray those penitents. Having said that, there is no indication that I am aware of that he plans to reveal confessional matter. So, while your concern is possible, I would not worry about whether he will actually do this. There is no proof whatsoever that he is intending to do this or is actually doing this.

Peace and blessings, Bob

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