HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- A Baptist minister said he will not violate the sanctity of the ministry by identifying the woman who gave him a bag with 60 pounds of marijuana she found in her house in February, the Hattiesburg American reported.

The Rev. Kenneth Fairley, pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church, said the incident occurred when a member of his church asked him for advice on what to do with the marijuana, later valued at $100,000.

"She brought the bag to me at the church and told me a family member was apparently involved in drugs. She wanted it off the streets," Fairley said.

Fairley called Hattiesburg Police Chief David Wynn who sent an officer to remove the drugs. Fairley was later contacted by two agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency, who told him he could face obstruction of justice charges if he did not identify of the church member.

Fairley told the newspaper he will not reveal the identity of the woman.

"On a daily basis, people come and talk about their problems and my response is to listen, pray and help them work through them," Fairley said. "I would lose credibility with my parishioners, the community and those who seek advice from me if I violated the confidences they share with me."

University of Southern Mississippi religion professor Dan Capper said the same confidentiality rules lawyers, doctors and priests have should apply to ministers.

"If pastors have to be tattletales, then people are not going to trust them anymore," Capper said. "It's the same privilege that lawyers and clients or therapists and clients would have."

Fairley said he has not heard from the DEA again and he is surprised at the attitude of law enforcement officers.

"I would think they would have been glad to get these drugs off the streets," Fairley said.