AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au
OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott says the sanctity of the confessional should not exempt priests from reporting child abuse – but his local bishop does not agree.
Mr Abbott, a devout Catholic who once studied to be a priest, said on Wednesday that everyone should be obliged to obey the law and report knowledge of child abuse. This applied to priests as well.
“If they become aware of sexual offences against children, those legal requirements must be adhered to,” he said.
“Everyone has to obey the law, regardless of what position they hold.” Asked if that applied to priests, Mr Abbott said: “Indeed.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.