Washington State Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson on Friday signed legislation into law that requires Catholic priests to divulge information dealing with neglect or abuse of a child that was shared during a confession.
Archbishop Paul Etienne wrote in a statement posted by the Washington State Catholic Conference that the position of the church is to stand in defiance of the law. "We must obey God rather than men," (Acts 5:29). This is our stance now in the face of this new law."
The Archbishop said: "Confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential, and protected by the law of the church." He said the issue is not disclosing the information, but strictly on how it is obtained. "Our policies already require priests to be mandatory reporters, but not if this information is obtained during confession."
The U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating the law, which singles out the clergy "with no exception for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic Priests." The DOJ also points to the overall theme of the law potentially violating the First Amendment.
The DOJ's Civil Rights Department is handling the investigation into what the department describes as an "apparent conflict" between the law and the "free exercise of religion under the First Amendment."
The Washington State Standard reported that the bill sponsor, Seattle Democrat state Sen. Noel Frame, needed three years to get the bill to the governor's desk. She said imposing the disclosure requirement on priests was paramount. "You never put somebody's conscience above the protection of a child."
Jim Mishler ✉
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