Face of Nation : Melbourne’s most senior Catholic says he will defy proposed laws that make it mandatory for priests to report sexual abuse revealed during confession.
The Victorian government on Wednesday introduced new laws to parliament aimed at forcing religious leaders – as well as police, teachers, medical practitioners and early childhood workers – to report suspicions of abuse. “The rights of children trump anyone’s religious views,” Attorney-General Jill Hennessy told reporters on Wednesday.
“Ultimately, this is about making sure that we start to right the wrongs of systemic abuse.” Under the laws, priests and religious leaders face up to three years’ jail if they don’t report child physical and sexual abuse allegations.
While the church supports mandatory reporting and encourages victims to report abuse to police, Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli said he was prepared to go to jail rather than break the confessional seal.
“For Catholics, Confession is a religious encounter of a deeply personal nature. It deserves confidentiality,” he said in a statement. Archbishop Comensoli urged the government not to infringe on religious freedoms and suggested priests be given protections. “Confession doesn’t place people above the law. Priests should be mandatory reporters, but in a similar way to protections to the lawyer/client relationship and protection for journalists’ sources,” he said.
Clergy are already subject to mandatory reporting laws in South Australia and the Northern Territory, while Western Australia and Tasmania have announced plans to compel religious leaders to disclose knowledge of abuse.
