LAWS exempting confessionial disclosures are crucial to the Catholic Church, Archbishop Philip Wilson says.
He said the sanctity of the seal of confession was of utmost
importance.
That came after renewed claims by Independent Senator Nick Xenophon for the Church to adopt similar confessional laws to those in Ireland.
That came after renewed claims by Independent Senator Nick Xenophon for the Church to adopt similar confessional laws to those in Ireland.
Senator Xenophon wants priests compelled to report on child abuse information heard in confession.
Mandatory reporting of child abuse under the Children's Protection Act 1993 (SA) says a priest or other minister of religion is not required to "divulge information communicated in the course of a confession made in accordance with the rules and usages of the relevant religion".
"For a sin to be absolved there must be absolute honesty and truth from the penitent," Archbishop Wilson said. "If there was no guarantee of confidentiality, this would impact on the penitent's capacity to confess."
State Child Protection Council chairwoman Dr Prue McEvoy said there
was a strong focus on building awareness and education on the purpose
of child protection.
"SA was one of the first places where the Catholic Church developed a child protection framework, which makes explicit our strong commitment to child protection and prevention of child abuse," she said.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference secretary Father Brian Lucas said: "The fundamental problem is that if a person making a confession thought they would be betrayed they would not make a confession."
A spokesman said police treated reports of child abuse and neglect very seriously and ensured a prompt and thorough response and investigation.
"Police support any initiative which improves the reporting of child abuse or may contribute to reducing incidents of child abuse or neglect," he said.