Church responds to legislation that would force priests to report abuse revealed during confession

The sanctity of the confessional is again the matter of fierce discussion, with legislation introduced into the Victorian parliament that would force priests to report sexual abuse revealed during confession.

It would legislate jail time for those who failed to report abuse.

The church is pushing back, with Melbourne’s most senior Catholic – Archbishop Peter Comensoli – saying he’d rather go to prison than break confidence.

However, speaking on 3AW, Father Kevin Dillon said the stand-off between church and government was not helpful and it was more than valid to discuss whether the “greater good” was more important.

“That’s a reasonable 21st century discussion,” he said.

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