(August 14, 2017 at 6:25 am)zebo-the-fat Wrote: Catholic clerics should face criminal charges if they do not report sexual abuse disclosed to them during confession, an Australian inquiry has recommended
The inquiry had heard harrowing tales of abuse, which were never passed on to the relevant authorities.
The Church has indicated it will oppose altering the rules around confession. (why???)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-40920714
It's because a big part of confession's defining characteristic is that it remain 100% confidential. If a person confesses a horrible crime they have committed, the priest's responsibility is to guide that person to take ownership with the law, as penance. But they cannot reveal to anyone anything that was said to them in the confessional, no matter how bad it was. The confidentiality of it is part of the sacrement.
And of course, it can also be argued that the people who confess to crimes in a confessional but don't turn themselves over to police, would never have confessed in the first place if they were not promised confidentiality. Making confession not confidential anymore would just mean no one would confess to crimes anyway, defeating the whole purpose of this proposed law.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
-walsh
