Confession, the Catholic and Orthodox practice of listing one’s sins in the presence of a priest who then offers absolution and is sworn to secrecy under pain of eternal damnation, has long been a source of fascination and scorn from those outside these faiths. 

The belief that priests are wellsprings of damaging and compromising information freely provided by the penitents who come to the confessional booth seeking forgiveness has, at times, seen priests face extreme pressure from those who wish to find out what was said under the seal.