Posted on 05/05/2025 8:33:47 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A new Washington state law now compels Catholic priests to report child abuse even if the information is revealed in the sacrament of confession.
The controversial legislation, signed May 2 by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, makes Washington the first state to explicitly eliminate legal protections for the sacred seal of confession in abuse-related cases.
Some states have laws requiring clergy to report abuse that also don’t include exemptions for clergy-penitent privilege, but Washington’s Senate Bill 5375 — which passed 64-31 in the House and 28-20 in the Senate — was the first with direct legislative intent to remove protections for sacramental confession in cases of child abuse and neglect.
The law takes effect July 27, according to the Washington State Standard.
Senate Bill 5375 was framed as a child protection measure, requiring all clergy in the state to become mandatory reporters of abuse, as CatholicVote reported in March. However, the law’s reach into confessional privacy has triggered strong objections from Catholic leaders across the state.
Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane issued a statement May 2 reaffirming the Church’s stance to the faithful of his diocese.
“I want to assure you that your shepherds, bishop and priests, are committed to keeping the seal of confession – even to the point of going to jail,” he wrote. “The Sacrament of Penance is sacred and will remain that way in the Diocese of Spokane.”
The Washington State Catholic Conference, representing all bishops in the state, had lobbied lawmakers to amend the bill to preserve the clergy-penitent privilege, a principle rooted in both canon law and centuries of Catholic tradition. Breaking the seal of confession is considered a grave offense, punishable by automatic excommunication.
In a 2023 statement, the bishops urged legislators to amend the bill to preserve the clergy-penitent privilege, highlighting that requiring priests to break the confessional seal would constitute a grave violation of religious freedom and could lead to the excommunication of priests who comply with the measure.
“The U.S. Constitution has protected the clergy-penitent privilege for over two hundred years, and removing the clergy-penitent privilege would be an unconstitutional violation of civil liberties,” the statement reads. “It would violate the First Amendment’s Free Exercise clause because it would threaten priests with legal sanctions unless they violate their religious vows.”
The bishops’ statement also noted that the bill singled out the clergy-penitent privilege but kept attorney-client privilege intact.
“The bill attempts to interfere with our Catholic worship and unfairly targets religious liberty, both of which are bad precedents,” the bishops added.
The law’s passage marks the end of a three-year legislative push by State Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, who insisted that no exceptions be made for confessional conversations. For Frame, removing legal protections for clergy-penitent confidentiality was a defining feature of the bill.
“You never put somebody’s conscience above the protection of a child,” she said, according to the Washington State Standard.
While her conviction resonates with the urgency to protect vulnerable children — a mission the Church shares — Catholic leaders caution against viewing the controversy as a zero-sum conflict between conscience and safety.
“For those legislators who question our commitment to the safety of your children,” Bishop Daly stated Friday, “simply speak with any mom who volunteers with a parish youth group, any Catholic school teacher, any dad who coaches a parochial school basketball team or any priest, deacon or seminarian, and you will learn first-hand about our solid protocols and procedures.”
“The Diocese of Spokane maintains an entire department at the Chancery, the Office of Child and Youth protection, staffed by professional laypeople,” the bishop added. “We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding child sexual abuse.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) further clarifies the Church’s position in “The Seal of Confession and Priest-Penitent Privilege.”
“If priests were required to report crimes heard during confessions, penitents would likely stop confessing them,” the USCCB states. “The opportunity that the sacrament presents for healing — not just of the penitent’s soul, but of the wounds that the penitent’s sin has inflicted on others — would be lost.”
“Yeah, let’s let the government ignore the Constitution and do whatever they want, as long as they’re just doing it to the filthy Papists.” — just an ordinary post on an ordinary day here at SlaveRepublic.com.
“or free exercise thereof”
Lol. Catholics will kill on this hill, silly govt. Please, unite them into a force.
Can they challenge a muslim doctrine?
My uncle's response was that he would tell the individual that part of his penance would be to surrender himself to civil authorities.
Its no greater than Protestant or other religious leaders. 0% is the only tolerant percentage but it is no means limited to priests.
At a minimum, If a priest confesses to child abuse, they should be revealed to the state. 1 Timothy 5:20, speaking of elders, says; “Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.”
You’re damn right we will.
It’s nobody’s business, especially the government, what happens in the confessional.
And for those Protestants cheering on this law think of this: do you want a government microphone between you and your pastor when you’re talking to him?
After all of you didn’t do anything then you have nothing to lose, right?
See how that works?
The point is that only Catholics get to hide behind the confessional booth.
Protestants have no use to go to a priest for forgiveness. And if they do confess to a pastor; then that pastor naturally makes the moral and just call to alert the authorities.
Freedom of religion does not extend to protecting illegals or hiding child rapers.
Where in the Constitution does it give carte blanche to Catholics to protect child rapers?
Or Mormon doctrine.
RE: “or free exercise thereof”
OK what does that mean in the case of a confession of child abuse?
Criminal conspiracies are not protected speech, if people tell preachers they are the serial killer or helping to operate that child kidnapping sex ring, then the preacher should call the cops, not join in the conspiracy.
Catholics have God at their fingertips, yet they go to a person to confess their sins. Newsflash. A Catholic priest cannot absolve you of your sins.
This is typical of the bishops. After the ball has passed the plate and the stick has been called, they challenge the call. They are so out of it, politically, it is embarrassing. They did the same thing when the euthanasia law was passed in WA.
There is a screen between the priest and the confessor. So how can they report if can’t identify?
There’s no hiding and you answer indicates you know little or nothing of Catholicism. Like another poster stated, depending on the sin, turning yourself into law enforcement may be the only way to be resolved of that sin. Restitution is another.
I’m not going to pretend I understand any form of Protestantism forgiveness but if I kill someone and say I’m sorry to God, I’m resolved? Sounds like a low bar to me.
Let me put it this way:
A priest that does not report pedophiles is the same as a priest who commits pedophillia.
“Forgive me father for I have sinned.”
“What’d you do this time, Father?”
“I diddled another Altar Boy.”
“Oh well. Say five Hail Mary’s and yadda yada yada.”
“Three Hail Mary’s and you’re back on the street with Father Rivera!” - George Carlin
Is this what they talk about in Protestant circles? So if a Protestant minister diddles a kid, he says, whoops God my bad. Sorry Big Guy?
Again, from you’re response, you’re demonstrating you’re ignorance on the subject & having gone to confession for 50 years, it reflects the gravity of the situation.
If anything, pedos, murders etc. should become Protestants.
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