No Confession for Child Abusers: Anglican

9 News
April 22, 2013

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/04/22/13/56/no-confession-for-child-abusers-anglican

People confessing to child sex crimes would not be absolved of their sins by the Anglican Church until they reported the matter to police, an inquiry has been told.

Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne Philip Freier said while confessions were limited in the church, there was a risk offenders may seek the sacrament to alleviate their conscience.

But the church required confessors to report their crimes to police before they could receive absolution, he told the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the handling of child sex abuse.

"There is a risk, and possibly a certain pathology in some offenders, where having any means to convince them that what they've done isn't as bad as what they probably know it is, helps their offending behaviour," Dr Freier said.

"We wanted to deal with that by saying we would not pronounce absolution to people who come in with a matter of child offending until they have reported that matter to police."

He said private confessions were not done anonymously.

The inquiry has heard the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne has received 46 complaints of child sex abuse since the 1950s.

The church could not say how many priests had been defrocked for child sex abuse but estimated it was fewer than 10 in the Melbourne diocese.

"In Melbourne it would be less than 10 I suspect," Dr Freier said.

The diocese's independent director of professional standards Claire Sargent said in addition to those who had lost their holy orders there were others who missed out on positions they sought because there was not adequate confidence in their ability.

"All people who minister are expected to be able to minister to children so therefore they have to fit all the criteria as if they were definitely ministering to children," Ms Sargent said.

"If there's any fall-short there they should not be permitted to undertake that ministry."