The priest must and does refuse absolution to a penitent when he thinks the penitent is not rightly disposed for the Sacrament. He sometimes postpones the absolution till the next confession ...
While clergy are often mandatory reporters outside of the confessional, long-standing legal precedent in the U.S. recognizes ...
The image of Jesus ... equivalent to the Catholic sacrament of reconciliation. He noted that Catholic Church canon laws 965 and 966 say that only a priest may hear confession.