So what?
If a law is passed requiring priests to report child molesters then the Pope only has to decree that personal confessions will no longer be held, except for the dying, and that general absolution may be given.
End of the law as there are no longer any confessions to be reported.

So to pass such a law would be a waste of time and money and to absolutely no purpose.

If you don't agree then tell us how the law would work.

It worked at US airports ."Are you now or have you ever been a communist?" "Yes sir I joined the Moscow Workers and Nuke Launchers Cell last year".

"Did you rape anyone this weeK?" "Yes Father , 2 nuns and six kids at the pool". "Read 3 pages of the Crimes Act , ring a lawyer and report to the Catholic Major Sex Crime Unit at Police HQ". "Thank you Father and I kicked the cat".

Hi there IS MISE...

You're right, I can't see any such law being effective in any way? And without that efficacy, what would be the point of introducing such a law, to enter into the criminal Statutes, if it were seen to be unenforceable and totally benign? Moreover, there'd be strong opposition from all strata of the priesthood, the police, and most sectors of the legal profession including the judiciary, purely on machinery grounds. And that's not including other clergy from Christian faiths, who would see such an action to be a direct betrayal of a Pastoral trust.

That's despite what faith they happen to adhere to. When someone confesses a transgression that's so serious, and so personal, I couldn't imagine any member of the Clergy betraying that trust. In reality the proponents of such legislation are actually asking the Priests to become police informants; in other words, collaborators, a judas, even an infiltrator. And without stretching possibilities too far, people have been 'shived' for far less in Long Bay, believe me!

Issy, I have no interest in the practices of the Catholic Church, in fact Confession (now refereed to as Reconciliation, get it right) would be no more than some sort of joke, as it was when I was a 12 year old pubescent school boy, with people fronting up with their list of contrived sins, and be given absolution.
I'm not aware of any push for some law making it compulsory for cleargy to report instances of child molestation that were confessed to them. The Church hierarchy mostly became aware of child abuse within, from complaints received from a variety of sources in their office. Unanimously they chose to hide those complaints, mistakenly believing they could deal with them internally, and still protect the good name of the Church.
To this day, their primary concern is to protect both the name and the assets of the Church. Why would a law change that mentality.

'The sacremental seal is inviolable'.
But young Alter boys bums and mouths they have no issue with.
This world is so screwed up....

You know when I think about this I don't don't know what to make of it...
You have a group of people that you can go and tell all your crimes, criminal acts, and immoral acts of perversion to, and it feels like a support mechanism for the scum of society, with these so-called religous people becoming aware of all sorts of dangers present to the innocent general public and doing absolutely nothing to protect them.

I agree with the proposed law in regards to crimes against children.