One of the highest-ranking officials in the Catholic Church has stated that he would “rather go to prison” than report pedophilia to police.
Australia’s most powerful clergy, Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart, says he’s prepared to be jailed for failing to report child sex abuse by pedophile priests.
He made the shocking statement in response to the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse saying there should be “no excuse, protection nor privilege” for clergy who failed to alert police of abuse.
Hart insisted that sexual abuse was “a spiritual encounter with God through the priest” and was “of a higher order” than criminal law.
ht/ shazzam
Good luck in your new job, guy.
“criminal activity by members of the Catholic Church are handled internally by Canon law, which operates independently of the regular legal procedure.”
How’s that been working out?
You have a “spiritual encounter” with my child, and I will gut you like a fish.
These people are part of something unholy.
Of course prison doesn’t scare him, it’s the next best place to have all the gay sex you need outside of the catholic church.
Ya Denis I’m Sure Like The Rest Of Us, You Think Orgasms are Heavenly !
Now You Can Tell Your Developmentaly Challenged Priest Buddies We Have ‘Em Too, and You’re Not Special You’re a Child Molester Who Embodies All They Preach Against… How Can You Go To CHURCH and Listen To Gay Elitists Who Put Their Penises INSIDE Of Parisioners CHILDREN… I’d Just as Soon Throw Them Against A Wall, Then Again For Good Measure !!!
Sounds like the freak is down with Chrislam probably too. Thats what muzlimes argue about killing people. Its above the law…
Am I Missing Some Catholic Homosexaul Alliance ??? I’m Not Catholic So Maybe I’m Not Understanding Something !
He should be accommodated …
“It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones …”
izlamo delenda est …
God would blow his head clean off.
Why pick on Catholics. I do not know of any protestant denominations that even have such a sacrament. So the proposed law only hits Catholics. Protestant and other religious groups only have to report if the perp or victim goes to counseling.
The Confessional seal should not be broken. If the disclosure of abuse comes during counseling or by other means, report is mandatory, and clergy are obligated to report. Same with murder and other crimes.
Confession is
Archbishop Denis Hart. That’s Denis, with one “N”. Rhymes with…
Now I’m Curious : Does The Term Or Organization Of The ” Velvet Mafia ” Come From The Vatican ?
Is The Vatican ” The Worlds Oldest Whore House ” ?… I Think So !!!
Snitches get stiches,eh? As for me I’m good with either the milestone or gutting like a fish, or to quote Marcelus Wallace “I’m gping to call some brothers, take a pair of plyers and a blow torch… I’M going to get medieval on your ass”
As someone commented on the original article:
“Why on Earth does this article directly quote Hart as having said that sexual abuse was “a spiritual encounter with God through the priest” when in the video he actually says “Confession in the Catholic Church is a spiritual encounter with God through the priest”??
Now it makes sense. The archbishop clearly said that any admission of child molestation outside of the confessional is referred to police. Absolution via the confessional is predicated on contrition, and most priests will not absolve the sin of a serious criminal act without a commitment by the sinner to turn himself in to the police. Per my 10th grade religion class, 50 years ago.
Confession is to reconcile man to God.
He must be contrite — or, in other words, sorry for his sins.
He must confess those sins fully, in kind and in number.
He must be willing to do penance and make amends for his sins.
You may be forgiven by God, but you must also stand before man’s laws.
Penance would include admitting guilt to the police and making amends, is to face the laws of man by a judge or jury of your peers.
Priests, Pastors, Ministers cannot absolve anyone of guilt or judgement.
Withholding evidence of a crime makes the Priest or anyone else an accessory to the crime and should face justice.
It’s obvious most of you didn’t read the article.
The Archbishop isn’t speaking of not reporting complaints of child abuse, he is speaking of hearing the confession of someone asking for forgiveness from Our Lord in the confessional. Often times the priest doesn’t even know the person, and/or there is a privacy screen between them.
That very last phrase in my previous post was an error.
Tony R. You are correct.
UPDATE: Other sources report
That switcheroo changes the whole context of the article doesn’t it?
I’m sure he meant “sexual abuse” anyway, so no problem.
Plain Jane : We Are Picking on Catholics For Good Reason, They Choose To Believe Grown Men Don’t Need Sex Because of a Connection To God !
For Decades Mothers Have Sent Their Gay Son’s To The Catholic Chuch, and Then They Tell You Right From Wrong. We Don’t Need a Governing Body, Because Our Clergy Is Married And Having Sex With An ADULT !!!
Seven to ten days ago, Mary Jane Anklestraps got me really interested in Deitrich Bonhoeffer. I purchased and am reading books about this incredible German priest.
When Hitler was gaining power, many people left the country, but Bonhoeffer stayed to encourage and comfort those rwmaining. Seeing the massive evil Hitler was, he joined the plot to kill the Fuhrer at Wolf Lair (which failed) and he was eventually captured.
Bottom line, this incredible German priest only 39, was hanged for fighting evil.
This self-important archbishop Denis Hart pronounces evil as something sacred and holy. What a waste he is!!
May his collar tighten until he sees the light.
I will never be ok with this whole confessional, middle man, that makes it ok to not report crimes crap.
I guess lawyer client privileges are next right?
Plantsman, don’t worry your preachers are screwing children as well. Pedophilia is not related to marriage or the lack thereof.
Sex Abuse in Protestant Churches: Three insurance companies in the United States that provide liability coverage for 165,000 Protestant churches revealed data to the Associated Press that they typically receive 260 reports every year of children being sexually abused by Protestant clergy or other staff.
http://www.catholicconvert.com/blog/2016/11/25/sex-abuse-scandals-catholic-protestant-and-secular-you-may-be-surprised/
This coming from the organization that has a track record of protecting pedophile priests, why am I not surprised?
Thank you Frank.
Also, both married female and married male teachers are high on the list of pedos.
Frank : I’m Sure Protestant Clergy Are Responsible As Well. However When Your Church Its Self, Has A Special Web Link To Point the Finger at Others and Absolve Themselves….. You Know They’re Guilt is Shameful !
The Australian media, like our own media, just love to bash Catholics. But are deathly afraid of criticizing Islamic terrorism.
I Respect Catholics in General ( 80% of my Freinds ) It’s the Organization I’m Really Not Accepting ! I Don’t Believe Catholics Actaully Realize How Powerful The Vatican is ! The Vatican Uses That Power For Their Own Benefit, Not For You…Then They Just Want More Power and That’s Your Tithing !
Of course we know how powerful the Vatican is.
More powerful than Obama, not quite as powerful as Comet scrubbing powder.
We like it that way.
Aaaron Burr : So You See The Power,and Like it ! I Like Christian Power as Long as I Know What That Power is Doing With It’self !
The Vatican Probably Has Little To Do With Actual Church, And More With Control Of The World !
The Catholic church is held to a higher standard because they take a righteous position against these horrible crimes. So when one of their own violates the position of the church, the media goes crazy claiming hypocrisy. And rightfully so. Protestants, teachers, coaches, family members, relatives, neighbors, and strangers are not held to a higher standard because they do not claim the higher ground. If Protestants, teachers, and coaches took such a moral stand, and one of them was outed, those three groups would be pilloried the same as Catholics. If they were democrats, no a word would be said. Right NYTs?
Judgeroybean : I Am And Have Been A Youth Baseball Coach For Years, And I Assure You We Are Very Much Screened ! We Have an Initial Screening and Then We Coaches Self Police Every Aspect Of Whose Involved With The Kids.
Do Priests Have that Much Screening or Does The Boy’s Club Decide !
OK Here’s My Problem… Don’t You Feel as Though You’re Supporting Child Molesters, Because It’s The Church ? Most Of You Don’t Even Support Gay’s What Gives ?????
You all are missing the real point of this hit piece on the churches of the world. (Catholic Jewish or Protestant)
The left wants to get rid of all religion and replace it with the state , that is the real goal.
We are all fallen and in sin without the grace of God.
Pray for all including yourself.
I wonder how a Catholic priest would react to someone stating in the confession booth that he had gutted another priest like a fish for raping his son.
Geoff C : All the More Reason Why Catholics Will Need Their House In Order, We As Christians Would Rather Our Strongest Leadership not be Our Weakest Link !
There’s plenty of stuff I don’t talk about in confession. Mainly because after the first 1500 Hail Mary’s, I doubt if she’s even listening to me anymore and B. because of ish’ like this.
The confessional booth is your direct line to God… with a pesky operator always buggin’ you for details…but it’s sacred. Or was, like attorney client privilege.
The point is, it’s obvious in today’s world that if you’re stupid enough to confess to a murder, or pedo crap, it’s not unreasonable to assume the Priest will contact the police.
Next topic.
(from Zerocyde) Why on Earth does this article directly quote Hart as having said that sexual abuse was “a spiritual encounter with God through the priest” when in the video he actually says “Confession in the Catholic Church is a spiritual encounter with God through the priest”?
The headline got me mad, (in part because it is believable) but it is misleading If you read the article and watch the video he is talking about CONFESSION as a sacrament. In that context he is on firm (but not exactly) solid ground. A priest’s duty to maintain the privilege of confidentiality of the confessional booth is of up most importance. However a priest is not required by Cannon law to forgive an individual’s sin unless penance is made that penance in such cases should include tuning oneself into the police.
in short the story and headline is a misrepresentation facts with an anti-catholic spin.
What Hambone said. I’d say it just to hear a reaction.
I’m glad I and mine are forgiven all trespasses.
Go back and read Tony R. and Moe Tom’s comments, this story is typical Mainstream Media bull.
I have no criticism of how any religion wants to relate to God, as long as I’m not forced into it too.
I’ve had a relationship with God since I was a small child. I don’t need someone between us to talk to Him. He has been present the whole time, so why would I feel the need to? It’s people I don’t trust.
I don’t remember Jesus ever instructing me otherwise, but I don’t have the Bible memorized.
“criminal activity by members of the Catholic Church are handled internally by Canon law, which operates independently of the regular legal procedure.”
Sounds a lot like Sharia.
Let’s just bypass the prison and march this pervert straight to the gallows and stretch his neck and then bury him in an unmarked grave or better yet, feed him to the dingos.
oolook, Bonhoeffer was a German LUTHERAN pastor, not a Roman Catholic priest. The title of priest can be used in the Lutheran church, but it isn’t generally.
The point of confession is to accept responsibility for your sins; to confess before God, and ask for absolution. It is NOT a “Get Out of Jail – Free” card.
You cannot be absolved until you are ready to pay the penalty.
You are not showing repentance if you are trying to game God’s mercy.
To confess without regret (and remorse) is meaningless.
If the “priest” wants to absolve the pervert of its sin (and crime), he should enjoin it to turn itself over to the secular authorities, so that the perversion may be expunged, and its soul purified.
Anything less is shirking – by both the sinner and the “priest.”
izlamo delenda est …