Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday slammed the use of the confessional to avoid reporting abuse, saying it is a "sin of omission" and all adults have a duty to protect children.
She announced this week the launch of a Royal Commission to investigate offences involving religious and non-religious organisations and insisted it will examine not only abuse but the role of institutions in covering it up.
Though the commission's terms of reference are yet to be decided, Ms Gillard said on Wednesday she was concerned about adults "averting their eyes" from crimes against children.
snip
He said priests should avoid taking confessions from colleagues suspected of being paedophiles but that they cannot then report the crime to police.
"If that is done outside the confessional (it can be passed on)," he said.
"(But) the Seal of Confession is inviolable If the priest knows beforehand about such a situation, the priest should refuse to hear the confession." The strict secrecy of confessions is believed to be more than 1000 years old.
Australian priests could be forced to breach seal of the confessional - Telegraph
So the solution from the church is for priests to refuse confessionals to pedos.
Nice.
So the question here is should priests be relieved from reporting pedophilia to authorities which they discover during confession?
FWIW - Even doctors, under the seal of medical privacy, are required to report such.
Australian priests could be forced to breach seal of the confessional - Telegraph
So the solution from the church is for priests to refuse confessionals to pedos.
Nice.
So the question here is should priests be relieved from reporting pedophilia to authorities which they discover during confession?
FWIW - Even doctors, under the seal of medical privacy, are required to report such.
When the government can impose its will on the church, society is in trouble.
Australian priests could be forced to breach seal of the confessional - Telegraph
So the solution from the church is for priests to refuse confessionals to pedos.
Nice.
So the question here is should priests be relieved from reporting pedophilia to authorities which they discover during confession?
FWIW - Even doctors, under the seal of medical privacy, are required to report such.
Maybe we can get a priest here to explain. When I was studying for the priesthood, I recall that if you could PREVENT harm, then you can disclose. For example, if someone came into the confessional and said "I'm going to murder someone" then you should report that, but if they say "I did murder someone," then you don't, but the priest should tell them to confess.
So the way I see it if it is confessed to them that "I will continue to abuse children," then that should be reported. I don't know, that's just what I remember from 20 years ago.
OK, here's what I think (as a no-longer-Catholic): The priest can give you any penance for your sins to be forgiven. The priest hearing a confession of molesting children should make confessing to the police part of the penance.
It's not imposing it's will, it's imposing it's laws, just like they do on everyone else.
Why should the church be exempt?
Separation of church and state.
You have a Byzantine view of SOCAS.
What you are suggesting is the Church is an entity outside the confines of society and neither has to conform to nor follow or observe the same rules and laws as everyone else.
Fail.
The Church doesn't make up it's own rules...at least anymore.
Thomas Jefferson would agree with me.
Australian priests could be forced to breach seal of the confessional - Telegraph
So the solution from the church is for priests to refuse confessionals to pedos.
Nice.
So the question here is should priests be relieved from reporting pedophilia to authorities which they discover during confession?
FWIW - Even doctors, under the seal of medical privacy, are required to report such.
Thomas Jefferson kept slaves even though he seemed to be against slavery.
TJ was brilliant in many ways, doesn't mean he was always right.
Separation of church and state.
That's idiotic. The church is still liable to follow the law. Or are you suggesting priests ought to be able to go out and shoot people at random and suffer no consequences for it?
Moderator's Warning: |
Australian priests could be forced to breach seal of the confessional - Telegraph
So the solution from the church is for priests to refuse confessionals to pedos.
Nice.
So the question here is should priests be relieved from reporting pedophilia to authorities which they discover during confession?
FWIW - Even doctors, under the seal of medical privacy, are required to report such.
Australian priests could be forced to breach seal of the confessional - Telegraph
So the solution from the church is for priests to refuse confessionals to pedos.
Nice.
So the question here is should priests be relieved from reporting pedophilia to authorities which they discover during confession?
FWIW - Even doctors, under the seal of medical privacy, are required to report such.
Philosophically the confessional should not be given special legal status, but given the power of the catholic church the practical solution is to scale the protection based on the information being revealed. Not revealing an act of petty theft is different than covering up mass child molestation.
Confessions should be like doctor or psychiatrist visits, completely confidential. Unless the person is talking about specifically harming someone.
I'm an avid atheist, but I fully support the church to maintain its own beliefs.
If I have followed correctly, this is an attempt to bring the Church in line with the privileged communication standards of those professionals.Confessions should be like doctor or psychiatrist visits, completely confidential. Unless the person is talking about specifically harming someone.
I'm an avid atheist, but I fully support the church to maintain its own beliefs.
If a child came in with suspicious bruises a doctor would be legally required in many places to notify the authories.If a child came into a quack's office and said mommy's new friend touch him in his private place then that quack in many places would be legally required to notify the authorities. Failure to report child abuse in many states is either a misdemeanor or felony.
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