Washington State Blocks Law Requiring Priests to Break Confession; Honors Confidentiality

The stipulated order states that Washington’s statute ‘infringes Plaintiffs’ free exercise of religion.’
Washington State Blocks Law Requiring Priests to Break Confession; Honors Confidentiality
A man holds a rosary in a church parking lot in Bowie, Md., on March 20, 2020. Rob Carr/Getty Images
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Washington state will not compel Catholic priests to violate the privacy of confession under an agreement signed by the state’s attorney general, both parties announced on Oct. 10.

A settlement filed in federal court guarantees what the church calls “the seal of Confession” while still requiring clergy to be mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect outside of the confessional setting. Catholic officials said their clerics are already under instruction to report incidents discovered outside of confession.
Mark A. Kellner
Mark A. Kellner
Author
Mark A. Kellner is a freelance journalist. He covered the 2024 elections in Nevada for the New York Post and was previously the faith & family reporter for The Washington Times.