Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart has said he’ll risk going to jail
rather than report what’s said to him in the sacrament of confession,
even if what’s confessed relates to child sexual abuse.
His latest comments, made on ABC radio, were responding to a recommendation from the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse to make reporting child sexual abuse allegations mandatory in institutions including when an allegation is made in religious confession. Failure to report would be a criminal offence.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/18/when-i-was-16-i-went-to-confession-i-wish-the-priest-had-reported-what-id-told-him?CMP=share_btn_fb
His latest comments, made on ABC radio, were responding to a recommendation from the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse to make reporting child sexual abuse allegations mandatory in institutions including when an allegation is made in religious confession. Failure to report would be a criminal offence.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/18/when-i-was-16-i-went-to-confession-i-wish-the-priest-had-reported-what-id-told-him?CMP=share_btn_fb