Is a religious confession admissable as evidence in court?

[Goodsoulette]

I was wondering (not sure if this is the right place to put it) if a murderer admitted his /her offence to his priest and said priest knew full well who the person confessing was, would it be accepted as evidence. Obviously a priest would generally try and get said person to fess up on his /her own. What if it was such a heinous crime the priest decided to go to the police. What would happen?

[jno]

There was a Hitchcock film called I Confess that dealt with this. The idea was that the priest was morally bound never to reveal what was said to him in the confessional. I don't know if the church still makes this demand, but I suppose so.

[coyn]

A priest cannot be made to disclose what someone said in confession

[Goodsoulette]

I know this... i said what if the priest decided to go to the police? would the evidence be credible or proof even.

[jno]

up to the jury to decide, on the usual principles. The police will take any evidence they can get.

[andy-hughes]

Priests are bound to confidentiality on anything they hear in confession but -

if a priest were to pass on what he heard, it would legally be 'heresay' - verbal evidence with no proof, so would not be admissable as evidence in a court.

[jno]

there was some plan afoot to reform the law on hearsay evidence, to allow more of it; but I'm afraid I lost track of whether this was ever put into action.

[Goodsoulette]

thanks to jno for realising that I understand what Priests are supposed to do this was purely a what if scenario.