Confession not all confidential: Anglicans

Anglican ministers told during confession about serious crimes such as child sexual abuse shouldn't be obliged to keep them secret, the church has declared.

The ruling means ministers are only obliged to keep serious offences secret if "reasonably satisfied" they have already been reported to police.

Representatives of the Anglican Church of Australia approved the amendment on Wednesday at the church's national parliament in Adelaide.

The legislation also covers other serious offences, including domestic violence.

Sydney barrister Garth Blake, who proposed the amendment, said it would ensure the church did not "act as a cloak" for offenders.

However, the legislation will only become active once adopted by individual dioceses.