Melbourne Archbishop says paedophilia is "a spiritual encounter with God through the priest"

Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart

Yes I had to read it twice too :s

This is from the Catholic church that wants more religious freedom in the inquiry into religious freedom in Australia. The church that the royal commission into institutional child sex abuse concluded that 7% of Catholic priests were paedophiles. The church that uses the confessional to cover up child sex abuse, claiming their church Canon law is "of a higher order" than Australia's criminal law.

To have this coming from a minor unknown priest would be bad enough, but to come from one of the most prominent Catholic leaders in the country is appalling and sick, showing that it goes right to the top.

One of the highest-ranking officials in the Catholic Church says sexually abused children can experience “a spiritual encounter with God through the priest” while being molested.

 Australia’s most powerful clergy, Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart, says the Catholic practice of confession is satisfactory for dealing with pedophilia in the church as it helps priests absolve “their own guilt” after sexually abusing children.

 Asked whether he was prepared to be jailed for failing to report child sex abuse by Catholic pedophile priests, Archbishop Hart confirmed he was willing to serve prison time. He also claimed the right to cover for pedophiles in the church is an “absolutely sacrosanct communication of a higher order.“

 He made the shocking statement in response to the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which stated there should be “no excuse, protection nor privilege” for Catholic clergy who failed to alert police of abuse within the church.

 But Archbishop Hart disagreed and insisted that sexual abuse was “a spiritual encounter with God through the priest” and was “of a higher order” than criminal law. Your News Wire