The Catholic Church has issued a warning to its clergy in Washington state: Any priest who complies with a new law requiring the reporting of child abuse confessions to authorities will be excommunicated.
The new law, which will take effect on July 27, eliminates the long-standing confidentiality of the confessional, forcing Catholic leaders and lawmakers into a highly charged standoff over religious liberty and child protection.
However, the Archdiocese of Seattle and several bishops argue that the law not only contravenes church doctrine but crosses constitutional lines, while supporters maintain it is a crucial step to protect minors from abuse.
The issue spotlights the enduring tension between religious freedom and the state’s duty to protect children from abuse. By compelling clergy to breach the confessional seal, Washington joins a small group of states stripping traditional confidentiality protections.
The law has triggered a national conversation about the boundaries of church and state, setting a precedent that could have implications for religious practices and privileged communications nationwide. The outcome may influence how other states approach mandated reporting requirements for clergy, especially as constitutional and civil rights groups enter the debate.
“Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession—or they will be excommunicated from the Church,” the Archdiocese of Seattle warned, according to Fox News.
The Catholic Church’s canon law regards breaking the confessional seal as a grave offense: “A confessor who directly violates the seal of confession incurs an automatic excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.”
The U.S. Department of Justice said it is investigating whether the law infringes on First Amendment religious protections.
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I’ve said before and will say again – the protection of children is a parental responsibility, not a state one. When parents simply sit back and allow the state to assume that responsibility, they also allow the state to determine what children need to be protected from. That is exactly how Hitler took over Germany.
Look at how all these laws and rules in place that we advocate against now completely overlook that the victims for whom these laws were named for and enacted completely overlook that these victims were KILLED. And yet, not one single penal enhancement to child murder penalties or additional post-incarceration restrictions or obligations for those found guilty of it.
This is a bad idea for many reasons, not the least among them is that it will be counterproductive. Child abuse definitely indicates a spiritual deficit among other things. Revealing this in confession is a first step toward accepting responsibility, receiving pastoral counseling and reconciliation with God. Requiring a priest to report the abuse is essentially self-incrimination by proxy. Abusers will be dissuaded from confession and working through their problems. I can’t imagine that prison counseling is more effective than restorative justice which could begin in the confessional.
Well over 90% of child abuse is perpetrated by family members or other close, trusted associates. The criminal justice system permanently rips families apart and can actually induce feelings of guilt in children. They are harmed once, and then once again. I realize there are some who can only see the world through retributive eyes and will never accept any approach other than to “lock em up.” To paraphrase an expression often used by that crowd, “if confession saves one child. . . .“
Clergy usually have protection from admitting such things in court cases. Making clergy must reporters of such things is well outside the realm of their responsibility. Confessions are not recorded so it becomes a “he said/she said” situation with no evidence and thus makes it hearsay evidence at best.
Finally,I find myself supporting the Catholic Church. Strange feeling. But they are absolutely correct. From what I’ve read and heard, the communication between priest and confessioner is as much protected as one between lawyer or Doctor. As it should be.
Confessionals should remain private
I agree that whatever is confessed to a Pastor should remain between God, the Pastor, and you.
The docrine of repentance is to confess, turn from the sin(repent) and not repeat it.
Confession, without repentance, means nothing.
Remember, Jesus told the woman caught in adultery in John 8 to “Go, and sin no more!”
However, in instances of repetitive abuse, legal ramifications should ensue.
It is unChristan, unBiblical, and wrong to repetitively abuse a child and then go to a confessional and then repeat the same sexual abuse again.
Put yourself in the shoes of the child. How would you, being the child, react to being repetitively raped?
Christians are not above the law and are not supposed to be doing these wrongs in the first place. They are called to live holy, righteous lives as free from sin as possible, endeavouring to please God and do what is right in His sight and in the sight of man and not bring shame upon the Church.
Also, just because someone goes to Church and to a confessional, does not mean he/she is a true Christian.
There are many people who claim to be Christians and are not and do abominable things and this is one of the reasons many people despise the title “Christian”.
Herein is the old saying true ‘All that glitters is not gold”.
I’m pretty sure Indiana has the same law. Everyone in that state is a mandated reporter including clergy.
I don’t think clergy should hide any abuse. A person should not think a confession to clergy provides forgiveness. They should ask their victim for forgiveness.