Bad Advice From Priests

[TehBorken]

 [font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="2"][big]Vatican newspaper denounces reporter who posed as penitent for expose[/big]
 
 By John Thavis
 [a href="http://www.catholicnews.com/" class="linkun"][font color="#990033"]Catholic News Service[/font][/a]
 
 VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican newspaper denounced an Italian journalist who posed as a penitent and confessed fake sins in order to write an expose on the sacrament of reconciliation.
 
 The reporter made his false confessions to 24 different priests in five Italian cities, including Rome. The magazine said the idea was to see how priests handle difficult pastoral situations and whether they followed the strict norms laid out by church teaching.
 
The reporter, for example, told two priests he was HIV-positive and wondered whether he should use a condom when having sexual relations with his girlfriend. One told him no, and the other said it was a question of conscience, the magazine reported.
 
 More than once, the magazine said, priests gave quite different advice on his supposed "sins," which included matters relating to homosexuality, divorce, stem-cell research, euthanasia and prostitution.
 
 One issue that found unanimous condemnation by confessors was abortion, the magazine said.[/font]  

[Lise]

It's still wrong though. For the reporter to make false confession. Even if the priests gave off bad advice, it's still wrong for somone like that go into confession (where it's between you and the priest and God) just to get a story.

[Sportsdude]

I think the reporter here was just trying to get what the priest thinks so he asked theoretical questions in and attempt to write a story.  He got what he wanted the priest said don't use a condom even if your HIV positive which is the Vatican line sadly.  Vatican cares about church numbers since they are a business and more people in Africa are switching to Islam because Islam permits them to use a condom and the Imams there say its okay to stop diseases while the archbishops are saying no, just don't have sex.  And as we all know Abstence programs do not work.  

[Russ]

Yeah SD, I can see that side... but you are messing with religion, and peoples faith's then. They give you their unconditional trust in their faith.. and a reporter abuses it. And then reports it. Thats wrong in many many ways. I dont like reporters for a reason.. and this is just another example.

[Sportsdude]

Really, unconditional faith?  Why should I keep what they say which can potentially hurt society when I garuntee they'd do the same thing if the roles where reversed.  For example I bet if a murderer goes to confession and confesses to killing people I bet 100% that the priest will go to the authorities to take the person off the streets because he or she is a danger to society.  What the reporter here did was show that priests are telling people information that can hurt society.  They're being acessories to a crime.  

[Russ]

Sportsdude wrote:
Really, unconditional faith?  Why should I keep what they say which can potentially hurt society when I garuntee they'd do the same thing if the roles where reversed.  For example I bet if a murderer goes to confession and confesses to killing people I bet 100% that the priest will go to the authorities to take the person off the streets because he or she is a danger to society.  What the reporter here did was show that priests are telling people information that can hurt society.  They're being acessories to a crime.  
   I think you missed the point I was trying to make.

[Sportsdude]

what was it, sorry.