Archbishop of Hobart defends Pope Francis directive not to break Seal of Confession.
Tasmania's most senior Catholic Julian Porteus defends the Catholic Church’s decision to remain silent should a person confess to child sexual abuse during confessional. This comes as a directive from Pope Francis that priests are unable to comply with secular law that would force them to break the Seal of the Confessional. Under news laws in Tasmania, this decision would see punishments of up to 21 years jail or fines of up to $3360.
Archbishop Porteus says “We don’t say this is protecting the person who’s committed child sexual abuse… We’re not protecting a person we’re working with them and we want to work with them.”
Similar laws passed in South Australia, Victoria, the Northern Territory and the ACT and were a recommendation made after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.
Source: On Mornings with Leon Compton, ABC Radio - Friday 13th September, 2019.
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