Catholic Church should put kids’ safety before priests
The Catholic Church should care more about the rights and needs of children than about the ethical dilemmas of priests. Religious freedom should not give priests the right to sexually abuse children, or protect others who do so, writes Susie O’Brien.
Susie O'Brien
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Why is the Catholic Church continuing to protect and forgive paedophiles?
The church has said it will break the law in order to protect priests who hear child abuse revelations during confessional. They will not be forced by the church to report such claims to authorities.
Religious freedom should not give priests the freedom to sexually abuse children, or protect others who do so.
Priests have been allowed to spend too long playing God with vulnerable children’s lives.
Under new laws to be introduced in Victoria this week, priests will be legally forced to betray the seal of the confessional and report any claims of child abuse revealed to them. Those who break the law will face three years in jail if they do not adhere to mandatory reporting.
This is a welcome move, and it’s shameful that the Catholic Church thinks it’s above the law.
Every time it’s suggested that Muslim sharia law is followed in this country before our own laws, there is widespread outrage.
This is no different. The Catholic Church’s religious practices should not come before laws designed to protect the most vulnerable in our society.
It’s hypocritical of Melbourne Catholic Archbishop Peter Comensoli to say he is “strongly committed to upholding the seal of confession” while still committed to reporting to authorities.
Has the church learnt nothing from the revelations of the royal commission that detailed how it protected and harboured paedophiles in order to protect its reputation? Clearly not.
As the commission’s report made very clear, the importance of protecting children from sexual abuse means there should be absolutely no exemption for religious confessions.
Comensoli may assert that the “practicalities of winding back the seal of confession I think is something that can’t be easily done”.
No religious body — whether Buddhist, Islamic, Christian or any other faith — should willingly flout such important laws.
Priests should join police, teachers, doctors, nurses, school counsellors, childcare and youth justice workers who are all required to report disclosures of abuse.
The royal commission uncovered many instances of priests actively covering up paedophiles; we cannot trust them to do the right thing.
The report states confession has been a forum where both victims and perpetrators have disclosed sexual abuse in the past.
READ MORE:
PRIESTS TO BREAK SEAL OF CONFESSION
Let’s remember that victims’ rights group Broken Rites says nine out of ten victims who seek help are from the Catholic Church.
Such groups say there are many people who confessed they had been victims of sexual abuse by priests, and were either ignored totally, or told to change their own behaviour.
One woman raised damning allegations repeatedly over ten years, only to be told to stay away from the priest involved.
I care more about the rights and needs of children than about the ethical dilemmas of priests, and so should the Catholic Church.
Twitter @susieob
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