Secrecy and Truth
It is absolutely essential that a nation keeps some things secret. The capabilities of weapon systems used by the armed forces would be an obvious example. Sometimes these performance figures are kept secret to hide the technologies used, sometimes their offensive and defensive characteristics remain secret for obvious reasons, sometimes the mission of a particular system is obscured, and sometimes the very existence of a weapon or defensive capability is cloaked in utter secrecy. For example, the X-37, an unmanned spacecraft, has been in operation by the military for 15 years but its purpose remains veiled in secrecy. The very existence of our ability to break the Japanese and German encryption codes was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Second World War.
So, governments have legitimate needs for secrecy. Corporations have trade secrets and other information that is not made public for the sake of competitiveness. We also have a personal need for secrecy. The Church has identified three categories of legitimate secrets, namely natural secrets, professional or entrusted secrets, and committed secrets.
Natural secrets are those facts that ought to be withheld for the sake of someone else. If we happen to know someone’s embarrassing information, we have a general duty to withhold it. Revealing such information generally falls into the sins of detraction, gossip, or both. Nevertheless, we might have a duty to reveal natural secrets to someone who truly has a need to know, such as telling parents of their child’s inappropriate behavior for the sake of correction and discipline. Yet, blabbing that information to those who really don’t need to know would be inappropriate. Likewise, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, as well as friends have a duty to keep some things that they know to themselves. Love is the guiding principal here.
Professional secrets include information that is entrusted to someone else. We are entering into tax season, and if we use an accountant to do our taxes, that accountant has a professional responsibility to keep our financial information secret. Doctors, nurses, and medical technicians have a duty to protect our health information. Psychologists, counselors, and lawyers must maintain secrecy regarding their clients. The duty to maintain confidentiality is assumed by the clients and expected of the professionals to whom they entrust personal and sometimes damaging information.
Committed or promised secrets are those secrets that someone entrusts to us with the understanding that we are not to divulge that information. They may have their own reasons for not wanting that information to come to light. Perhaps they had a crush on their biology teacher in high school, or they had various embarrassing exploits in college, or any number of mistakes they might have made in their life. Generally, such information is divulged only after secrecy is requested and accepted, or because of the relationship between the two people implies a pledge of secrecy. The matter might also fall into the category of natural secrets as well as a committed secret. Corporate and government secrets fall into the category of committed secrets. Why the top speed of a fighter jet is secret or why your friend wants you to keep something confidential might not be obvious or evident to us, but we are obliged to respect the request for secrecy nonetheless.
The ultimate level of secrecy is that of the individual conscience. The seal of the confessional is sacred and absolute. The matters of conscience expressed in the confessional are natural secrets, they are professional secrets, and they are implicitly committed secrets. The matters of individual conscience are between the individual and God, and are therefore sacred. They cannot be revealed by any third party, such as a priest or someone who might overhear a confession, under any circumstance.
But what about revealing other types of secrets besides matters of the conscience? Are all secrets absolute? The simple answer is no. There are some, such as thoroughly corrupt politicians, who want certain types of information to remain absolutely secret, but secrecy is not absolute. The truth ought to come to light for the sake of justice, to avoid serious harm to others, and for the common good. Secrecy is often where truth and love meet.
—Fr Booth