What happens when sins admitted to a priest sound like they could be grounds for a court case? This ethical dilemma will be the subject of an upcoming panel discussion on Widener Law’s Delaware campus.The event, titled “Priest-Penitent Privilege: Balancing Confession with Justice” happens Thursday, March 31 from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Ruby R. Vale Moot Courtroom.The panel will explore the question of how and when spiritual leaders should be compelled to testify in civil or criminal cases.Speakers include:
Widener Law Professor John F. Nivala, director of the school’s Taishoff Advocacy, Technology and Public Service Institute.
The Rev. John Grimm, a Catholic priest who is also a 1993 graduate of Widener Law. He is an assistant professor of moral theology in the School of Theology at Seton Hall University.
Janice Rowe Tigani, a deputy attorney general with the Delaware Department of Justice.

The event is presented by the school’s Christian Legal Society. It is free and open to the public and the media is invited and encouraged to attend.For more information about the program, call 973.445.3468.