VICTORIA (AUSTRALIA)
1 News, TVNZ, New Zealand
August 18, 2019
Victoria’s premier says the culture of covering up child sexual abuse must end after Melbourne’s most senior Catholic said he’d rather go to jail than reveal if someone confessed to him.
Archbishop Peter Comensoli also said priests who hear confessions have a similar privileged relationship to journalists and their sources, or lawyers and their clients.
Victoria is introducing new laws making it mandatory for religious leaders to report allegations of child abuse, including if they’re made during confession.
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