DOJ Probes Washington State Law Requiring Priests to Report Confessions of Child Abuse

Calling the statute ‘Anti-Catholic,’ federal officials say it would violate the Constitution by forcing clergy to break the seal of confession.

A wooden confessional, in a file photo. Quisquilia/Shutterstock

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a civil rights investigation into a new Washington state law that requires clergy to report child abuse or neglect revealed during confession.

In a May 5 announcement, the DOJ cited potential First Amendment violations and “Anti-Catholic” bias.