Washington will not require priests to report child abuse disclosed in confession [View all]
Clergy must still tell authorities of potential mistreatment but will not have to divulge information they hear in confession, under a settlement of lawsuits challenging the requirement.
By: Jerry Cornfield
-
Washington has abandoned its effort to force Catholic priests and other religious leaders to divulge information on child abuse and neglect they learn of in confession.
With a pair of legal filings, the state agreed not to enforce the controversial provision of a new state law that adds clergy to a list of professions that must report to law enforcement when they have reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect.
Stipulations filed in federal court on Friday will largely preserve the law, while casting aside the controversial component related to confessions. Catholic bishops and Orthodox churches sued over that element, arguing it was unconstitutional.
The agreements the state reached in those cases reflect the preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge that has prevented the state and counties from enforcing the confessional reporting provision since the law took effect July 27.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/10/10/washington-will-not-require-priests-to-report-child-abuse-disclosed-in-confession/