Washington State has enacted a new statute mandating religious leaders to disclose child abuse or neglect to authorities, even if such revelations occur during the sacred Catholic confession. Governor Bob Ferguson, a practicing Catholic, signed the bill into law last week, applying it to clergy from all faiths to bolster child safety.

The Catholic Church, however, views this as a grave violation of its sacred tradition. Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle condemned the legislation, calling it an unwarranted governmental intrusion into religious practices. He questioned where limits would be set if the state oversteps now.

Reacting swiftly, the U.S. Justice Department announced a civil rights probe, labeling the law as potentially infringing upon First Amendment protections of religious liberty. The department’s focus is on whether the statute unjustly targets religious freedom.

Across the nation, most states require clergy to report suspected abuse but often exempt confessions. Washington joins a handful of states with no such religious privilege exceptions, though prosecutions of priests over confessional disclosures remain rare.

The law’s origin traces partly to concerns about secretive abuse handling in groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses, who conduct internal investigations but do not engage in political lobbying. Senator Noel Frame, the bill’s champion and an abuse survivor, dismissed claims of anti-Catholic bias, emphasizing child protection above all.

Catholic leaders stress confession’s spiritual nature: it is a sacrament of forgiveness, not a fact-finding mission. Bishop Thomas Daly vowed the Church will uphold the confessional seal, even if priests face imprisonment.

Jesuit Father Bryan Pham called the law well-meaning but flawed, placing clergy in an impossible dilemma between obeying the law or church doctrine.

Despite federal scrutiny, Governor Ferguson remains steadfast that protecting children takes precedence.

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