Washington law requires clergy to report child abuse revealed in confession

The U.S. Department of Justice this week said a new law in Washington could violate the First Amendment. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Friday signed into law the bill that adds members of the clergy to a list of professionals who are legally required to report information about child abuse or neglect to law enforcement. Under the law, Roman Catholic priests are not exempt from the mandate even if they learn about the abuse during confession. The Roman Catholic Church believes that anything discussed during confession must remain confidential and priests who divulge information shared during the sacrament can be excommunicated. Previously, Washington state law has exempted clergy, along with licensed therapists and mental health counselors, from sharing information obtained during privileged communications. The DOJ claims the new law set to take effect this summer appears to single out clergy and may infringe on their right to freely exercise their religion. At least 28 additional states also designate clergy members as mandated reporters.

What has the church said about the law? The Archdiocese of Seattle on Sunday released a statement criticizing the law. It said the church already requires priests to report child abuse, but insisted that information obtained during confession must remain an exception to this requirement. Priests who violate the sacrament will be excommunicated, according to the statement. The Archdiocese encouraged clergy to uphold the seal of confession, even if that could result in their arrest. A priest who refuses to share information obtained during confession could be sent to jail for nearly a year and receive a fine up to $5,000, according to the law. Meanwhile, the Washington State Catholic Conference released a statement to assure Catholics that their confessions remained confidential.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report about the bill when it was still moving through the legislative process.