The French bishops will not compromise the confessional seal, the communications director of the nation’s episcopal conference has said—clarifying a statement by the conference president, who had seemed to suggest that the seal might not be absolute.

“One cannot change the canon law for France, as it is international,” said Karine Dalle. She pointed out that Church law punishes any violation of the confessional seal with excommunication.

However Dalle indicated that the French bishops would try to accommodate the government’s demand for mandatory reporting of sex-abuse complaints. “There will certainly be some adjustments proposed, which Rome will accept or not,” she said.