Catholic Church won’t give up its secrets

Father Brian Lucas said “priests have gone to their death” rather than give up confessions. Source: Herald Sun

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon wants mandatory reporting of child abuse after Ireland flagged tougher laws that could require priests to disclose confessions.

In Victoria, suspicions of child abuse must be reported by doctors, nurses, teachers and police, but not by religious authorities.

The secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Father Brian Lucas, said Senator Xenophon’s proposal was misinformed.

“His proposal does nothing to protect children and flies in the face of a fundamental right of people to practise their religion,” Father Lucas said.

“No Catholic priest . . . would ever betray a penitence.”

Father Lucas said “priests have gone to their death” rather than give up confessions.

But Senator Xenophon said religious sensitivities should not get in the way of child protection.

“The protection of children should come before any other consideration,” he said.

“Some in the Catholic Church have failed too many children in the past. Freedom of religion is one thing, but it shouldn’t mean anyone is free to ignore their obligations to report this most serious of crimes.”

Senator Xenophon will write to Attorneys-General around Australia to try to toughen child abuse reporting laws.

But outspoken Geelong Catholic priest Father Kevin Dillon said the proposed change could scare offenders away from confession, which otherwise could be a first step towards seeking treatment or surrendering to police.

And he feared the anonymity of the confessional might lead to damaging false identifications.

“For most people, when the confession is heard, the priest would not necessarily be able to identify who the person is anyway,” Father Dillon said.

“I could certainly not identify many of the people whose confessions I hear.”