AUSTRALIA
New Zealand Herald
Australia’s Anglican priests will be free to report serious crimes revealed to them during confessions, ending a church law that has its roots in the 12th century.
The Anglican General Synod has agreed to relax its rigid priest-penitent law following revelations of endemic child sexual abuse during federal and state inquiries.
While welcomed by child abuse victims’ groups, the move falls short of long-standing calls for mandatory reporting under laws applying to doctors and teachers.
The option of allowing priests to break confessional confidentiality also has to be approved separately by the church’s 23 dioceses, although the synod vote was unanimous and is expected to win nationwide approval.
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