BishopAccountability.org
	Priests Urged to out Confessional Abusers 9 News July 21, 2011 http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8275759/priests-urged-to-out-confessional-abusers The federal government is being urged to follow the lead of Ireland and force priests to report confessions of child abuse to the authorities. Ireland has announced it will change the law so that Catholic clerics will be prosecuted if they don't report crimes disclosed during confession. It follows outrage there over the long-running cover-up of child sex abuse cases within the Church. Independent senator Nick Xenophon said Australia should legislate accordingly, and argued it was unacceptable for priests to hide behind religious practice. "There is no contest when it comes to protecting the innocence of a child or maintaining a religious practice," he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. "Why should someone be absolved of their sins ... when it comes to child abuse because they've got a pat on the back from their priest?" Senator Xenophon introduced a private bill on the same matter when he was a member of the South Australian parliament in 2003, but it wasn't backed by the big parties. He said it was time for the government to stop the confessional being abused and denied a suggestion it would only prevent criminals from telling all to their priests.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.