Cardinal George Pell said yesterday that if a priest confesses to raping a child in the confessional, he would not be handed over to police because the "Seal of Confession is inviolable."
We need a new law that will break that seal.
His advice to priests is not to hear a confession about sexual abuse from a fellow priest. "If the priest knows beforehand about such a situation, the priest should refuse to hear the confession" he said. "I would never hear the confession of a priest who is suspected of such a thing."
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, a Catholic, said in Parliament yesterday that he struggled to understand the Cardinal's point of view, and so does everyone else - it only reinforces the truth that the Catholic Church protects paedophiles.
This is the man we have to thank, whistle-blower, Detective Inspector Peter Fox. Police have tried to portray him as being mentally unstable, a nut job, because he accuses police of covering up sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Detective Inspector Peter Fox
He's received threatening messages on police letterhead and the stress has taken a toll on his family, especially his wife, who had a nervous breakdown. His career in the police force is now over and his future uncertain.
DI Fox said the Church has been continuously saying that there isn't a problem and they don't need a Royal Commission. "We've had enough from that one side Mr Pell, now we're going to start listening to the victims and their families and we're going to start doing something about it" he said.
Thank you Peter Fox, you are a brave man.
Victims of sexual abuse have been asked to come forward and contact police because the Royal Commission will not have the power to prosecute child offenders. A search will now begin for a commissioner, or possibly more than one person, to fill this much needed and long awaited role.
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