Ireland stepped up its battle with the Roman Catholic Church over child abuse Sunday, with Justice Minister Alan Shatter vowing to pass a law requiring priests to report suspicions of child abuse, even if they learn about them in confession.
The Catholic Church regards information learned in confession as completely confidential. But under the law proposed by Shatter, priests could be prosecuted for failing to tell the police about crimes disclosed in the confession box.
Shatter said in a statement through a spokesman last week that priests’ failure to report what they learn in confession “has led sexual predators into believing that they have impunity and facilitated pedophiles preying on children and destroying their lives.”
The minister’s comment to a local radio station Sunday comes after the Vatican rejected Irish accusations that church leaders sought to cover up extensive abuse of young people by priests in Ireland…
Released July 13, the 421-page report into the handling of abuses in the diocese of Cloyne demolished claims by the Catholic Church in Ireland that policies it put in place in 1996 had enabled it to get a handle on the problem.
It also accused Bishop John Magee, who was responsible for policing abuse in his diocese, of not backing the policies himself and failing to take action against abusers.
Overdue.
#60, Your first paragraph isn’t quite right.
“Making no laws respecting an establishment of religion”
That means not favoring one over another. By not taxing them, the government is treating them as equals.
Too bad we can’t do that with individuals.
Don’t know about Ireland, but here in Canada the only conversation privileged in law is between lawyer and client. Priests can be legally compelled to testify, but they won’t so they could go to jail for contempt. Except, that looks so bad it will never happen. The trouble occurs when there is the question of whether the penitent told the priest as part of the ‘Sacrament of Confession’ or whether it was in a conversation outside of that religious rite
Well when you think about it, the argument can be made quite simple. If some religion receives any special privilege status in the country it’s in. Like tax exemptions or protection, or whatever. Then it shouldn’t enjoy any loophole that allow it followers to flaunt the laws of the land, they get absolution or whatever, from said religion. If some religion wants to “go it alone” and not receive any special status from the State. Then it can do whatever it pleases. But otherwise, it has an obligation as being part of, and benefiting from, its connection with the State. To uphold its laws, and provide all assistance in legal matters.
That said, I wager that the crime said State(s) are most concerned about are those of sedition and conspiracy. Not so much murder and child abuse. Especially in Ireland.
The funny stuff about the libs calling to ban confession and anything church related, is that they are the same ones calling to defend Muslim beliefs & Sharia law. If that’s not hypocrite, I don’t know what is.
#40 I’m still waiting for the answer of why you felt identified with the word moron.
#49 Yes, they do. They want it to be like Germany where you get taxed if you declare yourself catholic. Remember, Euro socialism is the mantra of the libs.
I hope this site has now changed its mind about special privileges for journalists who don’t reveal crimes.
#65 I don’t think the editor who put this gem even thought of that nor is worried about that.
Sinéad O’Connor was right all along!
On 20.07.11, O’Connor called this “The Most Important Speech In Irish History”
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny on Vatican dishonesty in the wake of The Cloyne Report
http://bit.ly/qhPzAw
From the speech: “…Today, that Church needs to be a penitent Church.
A church, truly and deeply penitent for the horrors it perpetrated, hid and denied.
In the name of God. But for the good of the institution….”
The bottom line is this. All religion is a form of mental illness, and that goes doubly so for the Catholics.
Homosexuality has nothing to do with paedophilia.
Start taxing the shit out of all religions, deficit problem solved.
Keep religion out of kid’s pants and classrooms.
#68 Right. Pedophiles are not homosexuals, they just happen to like underage boys of their same sex.