Attorney-General Elise Archer has encouraged the Archdiocese of Hobart to "rethink" its position on new laws that require priests to disclose child sexual abuse reported in the sacrament of confession.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Wednesday, Tasmania's upper house passed a bill to implement the laws.
But the Catholic Church has expressed strong opposition to the legislation and indicated it won't abide by it.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Archbishop of Hobart Julian Porteous has said in a statement: "As Pope Francis recently affirmed, priests are unable to comply with secular law that would force them to break the seal of the confessional."
"The Catholic Church in Tasmania is committed to safeguarding children and the vulnerable," Archbishop Porteous also said.
Ms Archer addressed the comments outside Parliament House on Thursday morning, saying she would "encourage the Catholic Church to rethink [its] position" on the laws.
"As I said when I first introduced this legislation into parliament ... I understood the sensitivities around this for the Catholic Church," she said.
"But I have also said that freedom of religion, in that respect, is not an absolute right when it comes to protecting our most vulnerable, and, in this case, our children, from sexual abuse.
"And the community expectation is that no-one is above the law."
Last month, Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli appeared on ABC Radio, where he said he would personally "keep the seal" if he was to hear reports of child sexual abuse in the confessional.