Hi (again) Folks...

Purely from a humble policeman's point of view, I honestly can't see how our very bright legal draftsmen and women, can draft legislation, to make it mandatory that a Priest 'must' report instances of Child Molestation. As horrid as that crime is.

I could type pages until I had only 1/2" fingers left, giving the reasons how difficult it would be for police to apprehend and then prosecute an offending Priest. Still I'm not a brain, perhaps others herein may have a way, I dunno I'd hate to be the arresting officer is all

o sung wu,

Spot on, and as the priest normally cannot see the penitent and vice versa, no positive identification could be made.

As the priest usually hears multiple penitents over the hour or so set aside for the purpose, one could well imagine the defence having a ball.

Hi there IS MISE...

I agree with you absolutely, Counsel for the Defence wouldn't even raise a sweat with any of this. I don't know of the various technicalities associated with the confessional, but as you rightly say, the Priest may see up to a dozen or so males, and what do they expect him to do? Suddenly leap from his confessional room and chase after a bloke who's just admitted to molesting children.

At his hearing, he need simply to aver, '...the Priest misunderstood what it was I was saying...'? One word against another?

Slowly but surely the huge amount of pedophilia within the Catholic Church is being exposed. There is much still to come, the aftermath of this systemic abuse by clergy still has to be dealt with.
Unfortunately, the very person appointed by the Church Elizabeth Proust, to head of the Church's own Truth, Justice and Healing Council, fears the institution will emerge from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse only "partially cleansed and unreconstructed".
If the Church is not willing to take full responsibility, then the Church has to be made pay in other ways.

Paul,

What has that got to do with the discussion?

Issy, maybe the Church hierarchy feel it can all be dealt with, within the confines of the confessional.
The confessional grew out of a medieval practice of kings and nobles having a personal confessor, usually a bishop, who after listening and advising could give absolution, which absolved one of past sins, including murder etc. There was no requirement for anonymity, just penitence.