CONFIDENTIAL

Australian Catholic Bishops Reject Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse

Proposed law would force clergy to tell police what is revealed in Confession.

The Catholic Church in Australia has rejected new laws that would force its clergy to report child abuse when they learn about it in Confession. The church is facing sexual-abuse crises in several countries, with Pope Francis personally accused of covering up reports of misconduct. Two of Australia’s eight states and territories have introduced laws making it a crime for priests to withhold information about abuse heard in the confessional—others have said they are considering their response. “This proposed law is ill-conceived, and impracticable, it won’t make children safer, and it will most likely undermine religious freedom,” Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President Mark Coleridge told reporters. The rejection sets up a showdown between the country’s biggest religion and the government.