He was responding to a report from the child sex abuse royal commission calling for reforms that, if adopted by governments, would see failure to report child sex abuse in institutions become a criminal offence, extending to information given in religious confessions. Clergy who fail to report child abuse heard in confession should be charged – royal commission Read more“I believe [confession] is an absolute sacrosanct communication of a higher order that priests by nature respect,” Hart said on Tuesday morning. For example, he would encourage a child to tell a teacher, who are already mandated under law to report. “However, we heard evidence of a number of instances where disclosures of child sexual abuse were made in religious confession, by both victims and perpetrators. Court system is unfair and traumatic for child sexual abuse victims, inquiry chair says Read moreHe said should Australia change the law, priests would be expected to obey the law, like everybody else, or suffer the consequences.

Source: The Guardian August 14, 2017 23:48 UTC