The Catholic Church announced that if pastors comply with a new Washington state law, they require clergy to report confessions about child abuse to law enforcement.
"Catholic clergy may not violate the mark of confession, or will be deported from the church," the Archdiocese of Seattle said in a statement. "All Catholics must know and ensure that their confessions remain sacred, safe, confidential and protected by church laws."
The statement added: “The Catholic Church agrees with the goal of protecting children and preventing child abuse.
The new law signed by Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson last week added “Clerical Members” to a list of professionals who are required to report information related to child abuse or neglect of law enforcement, and the measure does not provide exceptions to the information you provide for you.
Justice Department investigates "anti-Catholic" Washington state law requiring clergy to report child abuse
The Catholic Church announced that if pastors comply with a new Washington state law, they require clergy to report confessions about child abuse to law enforcement. (iStock)
Pastors of the Catholic Church are bound by an absolute confidential seal, an obligation that requires them to keep anything in secret.
The Archdiocese of Seattle said its policy has required the pastor to be a mandatory journalist unless the information is received during the plea.
Its statement said: “While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable groups from abuse, if knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Reconciliation Communion, the pastor will not be able to comply with this law.”
Utah bill to protect clergy when reporting child abuse to police
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the bill into law last week. (Getty Image)
The U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights department has begun an investigation into the law to violate First Amendment religious protection.
“SB 5375 requires Catholic pastors to violate their deep faith in order to comply with the law, the constitutional and the freedom to exercise religion cannot depend on our government’s constitutional system,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon of doj, the Justice Department attorney for the Justice Department.
“What’s worse is that the law does not seem to have the right to claim the privileges that apply compared to other reporting professionals,” she continued. “We take this issue very seriously and look forward to the State of Washington to work with our investigation.”
The U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights department has begun an investigation into the law to violate the First Amendment. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The bill will come into effect on July 26.
According to FOX 13, Washington is one of five states that only explicitly or implicitly require clergy to report suspicious abuse or neglect of children.
"This new law picks religion, which is clearly an over-and double standard for the government," said the Archdiocese of Seattle. "The line between the church and the state has been crossed and needs to go back. People of every religion in Washington should be shocked by this over-the-top over-the-top by our legislature and the governor."