BATON ROUGE (LA)
WAFB
February 22, 2018
The Diocese of Baton Rouge has won a near decade-long court battle over confession.
The Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and Father Jeff Bayhi have been dismissed from an 8.5-year long lawsuit to protect a priest from having to disclose possible allegations of sexual abuse against a teenage girl that he heard during confession.
Father Bayhi said fundamental core beliefs were challenged and he’s grateful religious liberties have been protected. “I think there are a lot of people that believe that the purpose of the church is to change so that we keep up with modern culture. The purpose of the church is to remain faithful to God and try to bring modern culture to God,” he said.
“The decision preserves the Seal and sanctity of the Confessional which the Church considers inviolable,” according to a statement released by the church Thursday.
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