Archbishop Costelloe’s Pastoral Letter concerns the McGowan Government’s Children and Community Services Amendment Bill (2019) and the proposed introduction of mandatory reporting for ministers of religion in Western Australia.
If the Bill is passed into law it will become a criminal offence for priests in Western Australia to remain faithful to the teaching and tradition of the Catholic Church, which holds that any information gained by a priest in the course of celebrating Confession is subject to the requirement of absolute and unbreakable confidentiality – what is generally known as the Seal of Confession.
Read the full Pastoral Letter by Archbsihop Costelloe SDB
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