Should Catholic priests in Washington State be forced to break the confessional seal?
On May 2nd, Governor Bob Ferguson signed into law a new requirement that clergy of all faiths become mandatory reporters of child abuse. It’s a move that’s especially controversial for the Catholic Church because of the sacrament of confession.
Up until now, admitting to crimes during confession, in a private conversation with a priest, retained similar legal protections as attorney-client privilege. In a statement criticizing the new law, Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne said the law violates the “seal of confession," and any priest who reports information received in…
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