Community > Religion and Philosophy
"Politicians can change the law..."
dpareja:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/australian-bishop-sentenced-cover-up-child-sex-abuse-1.4731452
Philip Thomas, Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide, has been sentenced to twelve months' detention for his role in covering up child abuse by James Fletcher in the 1970s, a pedophile who repeatedly abused two altar boys.
Thomas is the highest-ranking Catholic official to be convicted anywhere in the world over the pedophilia scandals in the Catholic Church.
State governments in Australia are considering laws that would obligate Catholic priests to report allegations of child abuse or other revelations of pedophilia made in the confessional, particularly South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory. However Greg O'Kelly, acting Archbishop of Adelaide, has said that priests would defy any such laws, despite their being recommended in December 2017 by a Royal Commission looking into child abuse, saying, "Politicians can change the law, but we can't change the nature of the confessional."
Meanwhile, charges against Cardinal-Archbishop George Pell on pedophilia allegations (not just a coverup as with Archbishop Wilson--he is accused of pedophilia) are pending trial in his home state of Victoria.
RavynousHunter:
Politicians can change the nature of the confessional, so can other people. They can change it from wood to ash, they just need a little heat.
Sigmaleph:
So, first of all, hell yeah for another conviction for protecting child abusers.
That said. I... don't actually like the trend that privacy laws stop applying when it comes to child sexual abuse. If you think priest-penitent privilege shouldn't exist, that's certainly a position one can have, but "you're obligated to report molesters, but not murderers" makes no sense. And this is the same shit they pull off when they want the right to spy on computers and shut down websites, "there might be CP there!".
RavynousHunter:
Honestly, I think one ought to be obligated to report any form of violent crime, be it murder, rape, arson, or child molestation. Well, that or incentivize reporting in some manner.
Sigmaleph:
--- Quote from: RavynousHunter on July 04, 2018, 07:22:49 pm ---Honestly, I think one ought to be obligated to report any form of violent crime, be it murder, rape, arson, or child molestation. Well, that or incentivize reporting in some manner.
--- End quote ---
I mean. I think there's an argument for that. On the other hand we don't force psychiatrists to disclose this sort of thing, for good reason I think, and confession can serve similar roles.
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