wfn.org | Clergy Confidentiality to be Explored

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18-June-1998 
GA98089 
 
    Clergy Confidentiality to be Explored 
 
    by Allison Politinsky 
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--The issue of clergy confidentiality will be studied for 
the next year and recommendations will be reported to the 211th General 
Assembly according to the Assembly's vote on Wednesday, June 17.  Ruy 
Costa, with the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, brought the 
issue before the Theological Issues and Institutions Committee earlier in 
the week. The proposal would reaffirm the traditional position of the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), on clergy confidentiality. 
    The Presbytery of the Pueblo asked to reaffirm the position due to 
increasing pressure from legal entities to reveal information from private 
clergy counseling sessions.  The question, Ruy Costa said, is "Do we have 
sufficient theological and ethical background to establish a Presbyterian 
clergy confidentiality policy?" 
    Part of the complication, he said, is that there are sometimes 
conflicting obligations of the pastor.  The pastor has a moral obligation 
to inform others if it means protecting people from abuse or those who are 
in danger of hurting themselves.  At the same time, protecting 
confidentiality is vital to the ministerial counseling process. 
    In recent years, there have been increasing legal demands placed on 
clergy and other professionals who care for people, to be forced by law to 
share what they know from private consultations. 
 
    Some clergy believe that they may be able to help a family better on 
his or her own, rather than handing it over to authorities, especially when 
a great deal of trust is involved.  But groups opposed to clergy 
confidentiality fear that a confidentiality policy may allow pastors to 
protect themselves from revealing their own abuse.  The question it boils 
down to, according to Costa, is, "How much are we willing to stand by our 
pastors?" 
    The committee's recommendation will allow the Advisory Committee on 
Social Witness Policy to consult with the Litigation and Constitutional 
Committees.  It is possible, Costa said, that the recommendation will be 
that the denomination is not ready to make an interpretation of the 
position of the Church. 
    "We have to look at the matter to see if we have enough legal and 
constitutional information to explore clergy rights in the matter," Costa 
concluded.  "If not, we may need a more involved process of defining what a 
policy should be." 

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