In Paolo Sorrentino's first episode of "The Young Pope" he has the bishop and cardinal breaking the seal of confession from the get- go. The young pope even tells them to break he seal so he can hear the secrets/sins  of his subordinates.  
When Ronald Reagan sent CIA Director William Casey to the Vatican it was for help in the intelligence department. Seems that Pope John Paul II's Vatican had more intelligence on the planet than the CIA and KGB combined.  How did they come by all that intelligence? 
Perhaps Father Brennan and Bishop Hart feel emboldened by their public statements of support for secrecy for  child rapists confessing their crimes. They will even go to jail over the pedophiles, so brave they are.   Are they still trying to get us to believe that men who cover up for pedophile priests care a hoot about confessional secrets?  

AW