Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the practice of keeping a revealed matter to oneself, i.e., as a matter of confidence. Priests and lawyers are permitted by law to do this and cannot be compelled to give testimony to those who confess crimes to them. One of a Catholic priest's main jobs is to hear confessions and assign penance; if they had to report crimes to the police, far fewer people would dare to confess. A lawyer's ability to represent his client is greatly enhanced by his being able to communicate selective parts of what he knows of his client's history.