Law and religion round-up – 20th August

Seal of confession

“The Society” (previously known as The Society of Saint Wilfrid and Saint Hilda) has published its response to the Government’s consultation on mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse. It asks that an exception be made to the requirement for mandatory reporting in respect of ”the Seal of the sacrament of Confession, as practised in the Roman Catholic Church and parts of the Church of England”. It bases its argument on the experiences of survivors of abuse rather than of perpetrators:

“The loss of the Seal would take away from survivors a safe space for disclosure and would be doing so against the incredibly remote contingency, and unproven concern, that perpetrators will abuse the Seal. This will not make us a safer church. Rather it will take away from many victims and survivors a place in which a journey of healing can begin.” Continue reading