Mormon: Law requiring clergy to report crimes unfair

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A Mormon bishop charged with failing to report child sex abuse said it's unfair to expect him to act as a police officer.

Bruce R. Christensen, who pleaded innocent earlier this month, said Monday he plans to challenge a state law requiring clergy to report crimes unless their sole knowledge comes from a perpetrator's confession.

"Now, if someone comes into my office, I need a sign above my door saying, 'Anything you say, I have to report to the police,"' Christensen said after a preliminary hearing in his first public statement since being charged.