SYDNEY—The Catholic church in Australia on Aug. 31 rejected laws forcing priests to report child abuse when they learn about it in the confessional, setting the stage for a showdown between the country’s biggest religion and the government.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), the country’s top Catholic body, said it did not accept a recommendation from an official inquiry into church abuse which would force priests by law to report abuse to the police when they hear about it in confession.
