BishopAccountability.org
	Poll: Should Priests Be Exempted from Mandatory Crime Reporting? The Journal July 16, 2011 http://www.thejournal.ie/poll-should-priests-be-exempted-from-mandatory-crime-reporting-178589-Jul2011/ THE GOVERNMENT HAS insisted that new laws which make it an offence not to report a crime will not give an exemption to priests. The new rules are contained in a Criminal Justice Bill which is set to be introduced later this year – but priests have disputed the new rule, saying the ‘seal of confession’ should remain privileged. The government insists that the Church’s canon law cannot be superior to civil law, but some believe the priests have a point: if a guilty person admits a crime to their legal advisor, they’re not obliged to inform the Gardai, so a spiritual advisor shouldn’t be treated any differently.
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