translated from Spanish: Church rejects project that seeks to eliminate the secrecy of confession to denounce abuses

This week was approved in the Chamber of Deputies approved the pr Disco of law which aims to put an end to the secrecy of confession, with the aim that the religious authorities are obliged to report crimes against children. 
However, the Catholic Church spoke against this project. In that sense, the Episcopal Conference held that that supports “all the initiatives that help make justice abuses”, added to what that “the obligation to denounce seems reasonable in all areas where there is presence of minors, including the” religious”.
According to La Tercera, the point generating the rejection of the Church points to the project dismissed an indication that intended to exclude cases in which the religious take knowledge of these crimes through a confession of that obligation.
In that context, the Secretary-General of the Episcopal Conference, Fernando Ramos, considered that that point represents a “serious difficulty”, since “stealth in the universal Church for confession is a sacrament and, therefore, an act of worship that is” protected by Chilean law, specifically by the Criminal Code”.
“If a priest violates the sacramental secrecy, it receives the grave penalty of excommunication.” Ramos also noted that “there is no legislation in the world that has passed to carry this principle”.
In this respect also manifested the Bishop of San Bernardo, Juan Ignacio González, who even though he said that this project is positive, said that “we must always safeguard the belief and conscience of the people,” which is one of the fundamental human rights.
Finally, the Apostolic Administrator of Puerto Montt, Ricardo Morales, said that “not it can violate the conscience of the person manifesting their sins before God”.
After being approved in the Chamber, the project will enter the Senate Constitution Committee.

Original source in Spanish

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