Imagine for a moment a pope making confession at the Vatican. Somehow, the public, having read a scoop imparted to L'Osservatore Romano, The New York Times or even the New York Post, learns of some terrible sin to which he confessed. Was the confessional bugged by a detractor of il Papa? Or, assuming the pope isn't himself to blame for self-revealing to an unreliable confidant, did the confessor priest maliciously shoot his mouth off to a journalist or a scheming acquaintance? If we can't trust the iconic pillar of confidentiality that the confessional has represented since 1563—especially when no lesser figure than the pope is involved—is anything truly "sacred" anymore?