Priests Could Be Ordered to Report Confessions of Sex Abuse to Police
By Ashley Gardiner
HUNDREDS of years of Catholic tradition in the confessional could be overturned by Victoria's inquiry into child sex abuse. Priests would be ordered to reveal crimes told to them in private confessions under one proposal before the inquiry. But priests say they will resist being forced to reveal secrets of the confessional. A parliamentary committee also will look at radical new laws that would see bishops face criminal charges for the misconduct of their priests. Should priests report to police crimes revealed in the confessional? Vote and have your say. Submissions are being accepted for the inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious groups. The inquiry was set up by the Baillieu Government in April. The inquiry is being conducted by State Parliament's Family and Community Development Committee, chaired by Liberal MP Georgie Crozier, with Labor MP Frank McGuire as deputy. A guide released by the committee asks those making submissions to consider whether mandatory reporting rules should be imposed on the confessional. "Should the sacrament of the Catholic confessional remain sacrosanct in these circumstances?" the paper says. It also asks whether tough new laws should be imposed on the church hierarchy. "Should officials in religious and other organisations be held criminally responsible for the actions of offenders of child abuse in their employ or for whom they have responsibility?" The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne declined to comment on the guide, saying it do not want to pre-empt the work of the inquiry. "The Catholic Church will co-operate with the inquiry," archdiocese spokesman James O'Farrell said. But the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, has previously said the confessional must remain sacrosanct. In Ireland, where similar laws have been introduced, priests have vowed to defy the orders, which could see them jailed for up to 10 years. The Reverend Father John Walshe, chairman of the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, said the confessional was not a place of counselling. "The universal response of priests to any attempt to demand they pass on information they have received in the confessional will be absolutely negative," said Fr Walshe, parish priest of St Patrick's, Mentone. "Priests have in the past history of the church been martyred for refusing to break the seal of the confessional and I believe that priests today would continue to do the same." A spokesman for the Baillieu Government said the committee had sought submissions on a wide range of issues. The sex abuse inquiry is due to present its report to State Parliament by April. Contact: gardinera@heraldsun.com.au
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