Court rules that letters to priests do not fall under clergy-penitent privilege
September 11, 2015
The Appellate Court of Illinois has ruled that a letter written to a priest does not fall under the purview of the clergy-penitent privilege.
A pastor in the Diocese of Rockford received a letter from a parish volunteer alleging that one minor had sexually abused another minor. The mother of the accused minor filed a defamation lawsuit in which she alleged that the accusation was false and that her child had become “isolated and ostracized in the community, including the parish community.”
Citing the clergy-penitent privilege, the diocese and the priest have refused to divulge the name of the letter writer. The Appellate Court of Illinois upheld a lower court opinion and ordered the diocese to do so.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
- Jaime Doe v. The Catholic Diocese of Rockford and John Doe (Appellate Court of Illinois)
- Clergy-Penitent Privilege Does Not Shield Disclosure of Writer of Defamatory Letter (Religion Clause)
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
