ADELAIDE Anglican Church Synod Supports Priests Breaching Confessional to Report Crimes

7 News
October 17, 2014

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/25291776/adelaide-anglican-church-synod-supports-priests-breaching-confessional-to-report-sex-abuse/

The Anglican Church in Adelaide has backed an earlier move by the church nationally to let its priests break the confidentiality of confessions.

Earlier this year, the national synod met in Adelaide and voted for an historic change to let priests ignore the privacy of the confessional in cases of serious crimes, such as child abuse.

That national meeting said it would be up to individual dioceses to adopt the policy, a vote the Adelaide diocese has taken this weekend.

Adelaide Archbishop Jeffrey Driver said the local synod voted to back the change and, after some further consultation with clergy, the church legislation would be signed into effect.

"We're one of the first dioceses in Australia to deal with this particular canon. There was a protocol in place before but it didn't provide for disclosure around these matters," he said.

"It does mean that people can have the reassurance that the Anglican Church in South Australia is doing its absolute best to ensure that we respond properly to the situation where vulnerable minors are at risk of the terrible experience of abuse."

The Archbishop said he hoped the sanctity of confessions would be breached in rare and very extreme circumstances "where there's the sense that someone's life and wellbeing is at risk".

"We'll put a protocol in place as to how we do that in the diocese and that will certainly involve some consultation with the bishop," he said.

"It may be possible that a clergy person hears a confession relating to the abuse of a minor and, in those circumstances, this canon allows them - in consultation with their bishop - to take some steps to ensure that matter is reported."

He said a priest was likely to urge a person who confessed to then do the same to police or other authorities, but now would be able to take the matter further if needed.

"In the extreme case where the person refuses to do that, and the priest is convinced that there's a real risk to the person, this change gives them the capacity to report without feeling that they're acting against the rules of the church," he said.

Archbishop Driver said he felt compelled personally to back the historic change to the rules, having listened to stories of abuse over his many years of work.

"I asked myself 'Could I live with the reality or the possibility of one more child being abused as a result of my silence?' and the answer is 'No I could not'," he said.

The Adelaide meeting also backed a plan to appoint an Aboriginal bishop in South Australia.

Archbishop Driver said he hoped to make an appointment before the end of the year.

"I think it's important that the Aboriginal heritage and the Aboriginal community today be recognised for their place in Australian society, and it's important we do it in the church at all levels," he said.

"We have had Aboriginal bishops [before], but one has retired and so my intention is that we in SA will make an appointment."