Approval by Hong Kong lawmakers of sweeping national security legislation that penalizes vaguely defined political crimes is raising concerns among Catholics about the privacy of their church confessions.

Priests who hear confessions from people committing national security offenses — and fail to report them to authorities — could face charges under the new security law, Hong Kong senior counsel Ronny Tong Ka-wah warned Monday, The Standard reported.

Under the legislation, people who have knowledge of treason but do not report it will be found guilty of "misprision of treason," which carries a maximum jail term of 14 years. The highest penalty for treason is life imprisonment.

Tong told the outlet he found no reason for priests and social workers to be exempted from the law, and it would be up to individuals to determine the importance of abiding by the law and the requirements of their work.

He added treason is considered more severe than murder, arson, or robbery.

The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, however, insisted though the church recognized citizens had "an obligation to ensure national security," the new legislation "will not alter the confidential nature of Confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation) of the Church."

The new laws take aim at five types of offenses: treason, insurrection, theft of state secrets, sabotage, and external interference, and also introduced key changes to due process, according to The New York Times.

The legislation also empowers the city's leader, known as the chief executive, to make new, related laws, which can carry penalties of up to seven years in prison, without going through the legislature, the Times reported. The leader would consult the cabinet before enacting any such law; the legislative council, known as the LegCo, would be able to amend or reject the law later.

"This is deeply disturbing," Thomas Kellogg, the executive director of the Center for Asian Law at Georgetown University, told the Times.

"The LegCo is handing the chief executive the power to expand the law even further, in ways that could further infringe on basic rights."

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