Priests could be ordered to report confessions

I went to school at St Aidans Primary at Rooty Hill and were MADE go to confession, sometimes you’d make up the lies and things you’d done, because you couldn’t think of anything right? Well, what about this.

HUNDREDS of years of Catholic tradition in the confessional could be overturned by Victoria's inquiry into child sex abuse.

SO WHAT IS THE CONFESSIONAL?

* CONFESSION, formally the Sacrament of Penance, is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church

* THE strict confidentiality, known as the Seal of the Confessional, is absolute, and priests must not reveal what they have heard, even under the threat of death

* THE reason for confidentiality is because priest is acting ``in the person of Christ'', and a person confesses to Christ

* A PRIEST can advise a person who has committed a crime to go to the police

Priests would be ordered to reveal crimes told to them in private confessions under one proposal before the inquiry.

But priests say they will resist being forced to reveal secrets of the confessional.

A parliamentary committee also will look at radical new laws that would see bishops face criminal charges for the misconduct of their priests.

The sex abuse inquiry is due to present its report to State Parliament by April.

Should priests report to police crimes revealed in the confessional?