Some Christians are siding with Scientologists in a key abuse case........

[dimbear]

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/september-web-only/some-christians-are-siding-with-scientologists-in-key-abuse.html?paging=off
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The Church of Scientology is asking the Supreme Court to let it use clergy-penitent privilege to keep secret more than 18,000 pages of documents on former member and employee Laura DeCrescenzo. It has picked up some unusual allies—the National Council of Churches (NCC) and the Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties organization.

DeCrescenzo is suing Scientology and alleging a number of abuses...........
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This is a complex one, and you may find it tl;dr. In a nutshell Scientology is trying to use its clergy confessional privilege to shelter data that have been read already by hundreds (!) of people. The National Council of Churches seems to be giving this the nod. Since the State of California sees it otherwise, fireworks have ensued.

[rug]

1. The penintent's privilege is not as sweeping as is often thought.

It applies in only a few discrete circumstances. I doubt that it applies to all 18,000 pages, particularly since the confidences are made face-to-face and are unrecorded.

[cbayer]

2. The distinction to me would be answered by asking exactly who is being protected here.

The rules are in place to protect the penitent. In this case, it appears that they are being invoked to protect the Scientology hierarchy.

The NCC support speaks to a rather narrow aspect of this and I'm not sure it really supports the Scientology case.