Absolute confidentiality means that anything that is shared as part of pastoral care cannot be disclosed, even when the person seeking dialogue requests that it be disclosed. The priest cannot be summoned to court to testify about something that is said during a confession or individual pastoral care. The priest also has a duty not to disclose that a dialogue took place or to reveal whom they spoke with.
However, there is one situation when the priest can breach the duty of confidentiality. This is if the priest learns of an intention to commit a crime that will harm or kill people, such as a planned act of terrorism. On such an occasion, the priest can alert others. This must be done in such a way that the identity of the person who has conveyed the threat is not revealed.
Not all conversations with a priest are considered individual pastoral care. When that is the case, a different form of confidentiality applies. The church order states that: “In the church’s care of its congregation, the disclosure of information about an individual’s personal circumstances is not permitted. This applies unless it is clear that the information can be disclosed without harm being caused to the person in question or to someone close to them.” This form of confidentiality is also strict, although it is not absolute.