Catholic bishops call mandatory reporting law 'brazen act of religious discrimination'
Implementation of Washington's controversial law looms large this month, as it is slated to take effect on July 27.
Current law — which does not include clergy among the categories of people who are required to report child abuse — notes that people at a nonprofit or for-profit organization must report child abuse or neglect by an individual they supervise if that individual regularly has unsupervised access to kids in their role at the organization. But there is a carveout stipulating that reporting is not required when the information is fully obtained via privileged communication.
Catholic Bishops Vow To Resist Blue State Law Intruding On 'Sacred' Trust: 'Obey God Rather Than Men'
The new law includes that same language, but the carveout is preceded by the words, "Except for members of the clergy," indicating that the carveout does not apply to them.
The initial complaint in May from plaintiffs including Roman Catholic Archbishop of Seattle Paul D. Etienne and multiple other Catholic clergy members, asserted that "Washington is targeting the Roman Catholic Church in a brazen act of religious discrimination."
Read On The Fox News App
A motion for preliminary injunction filed in June declared, "Plaintiffs respectfully request that this Court issue a preliminary injunction blocking the investigation and enforcement of RCW § 26.44.030, as amended by Senate Bill 3575, to the extent it applies to information learned by Catholic clergy through the Sacrament of Confession."
Catholic Church To Excommunicate Priests For Following Wa Law Requiring Child Abuse Confessions To Be Reported
The U.S. Justice Department has also taken aim at the state's new law regarding the issue of confessions.
"Senate Bill 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges. The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said, according to a June press release.
Pope Demands Ceasefire After Gaza's Catholic Church Is Hit In Apparent Israeli Strike
The U.S. government filed a motion for a preliminary injunction last month.Original article source: Catholic bishops call mandatory reporting law 'brazen act of religious discrimination'
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
24 minutes ago
- The Hill
Carville: Trump could face ‘political catastrophe' with MAGA base over Epstein furor
Democratic political strategist James Carville weighed in on the pressure from President Trump's MAGA base for the Justice Department (DOJ) to release more files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, saying Trump losing 'even 10 percent' of his supporters would be a 'political catastrophe.' In an appearance Thursday on CNN's 'The Situation Room,' Carville outlined potential political fallout the president could face from the Epstein controversy. 'If you think about it, well, he can't lose any of his base. He clocks in, let's just say 88 percent of Republicans, maybe 90, you know, he's sprawling among independents and 90 percent of the Democrats don't like him. Well, if he loses even 10 percent of his Republican support, that's a political catastrophe for him,' Carville told host Wolf Blitzer. 'I mean, he's operating under very small margins here.' The analysis comes as calls mount for the Trump administration to release more information following its probe of the Epstein case. Earlier this month the DOJ and FBI unveiled a joint memo that concluded the convicted sex offender did not keep a 'client list' — seemingly a contradiction from previous comments. Voters and Republicans, along with Democrats, have shown distrust in the federal government in recent days over DOJ's perceived lack of transparency. A new survey from Emerson College Polling found that 51 percent of voters disapprove of how the administration is handling the files A Fox News Poll from earlier this week also revealed that only 13 percent of the GOP says the administration has been transparent, while 60 percent said the opposite. The president has sought to shake off the drama in recent days, even lashing out at MAGA supporters, with little to no avail. 'Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try and do the Democrats' work,' Trump told reporters from the Oval Office last week. He added at the time, 'I call it the Epstein hoax. Takes a lot of time and effort. Instead of talking about the great achievements we've had … they're wasting their time with a guy who obviously had some very serious problems, who died three, four years ago. I'd rather talk about the success we have with the economy.' Trump amid pressure from his base asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to request the release of the grand jury testimonies of Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. The latter met with Bondi's deputy Todd Blanche on Thursday and will continue answering questions on Friday. Despite the request, a judge denied the request. The president is also entangled in a legal battle after bombshell reporting from the Wall Street Journal earlier this week said Bondi told Trump two months ago that he was mentioned in the Epstein files. The president has denied the claims and sued the outlet over the report. Carville suggested Thursday that while that would not automatically implicate him, 'there is evidence he knew about it.' 'He said Epstein likes girls, particularly on the younger side. I mean, he was obviously aware at a minimum of what Epstein was up to,' he added. The president has brushed off the criticism, writing late Friday that the continued furor is just part of a 'Democrat CON JOB.' 'They have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'As things are revealed and, I hope will take place quickly, you will see that it is yet another Democrat CON JOB.'
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Carville rips Columbia over Trump settlement: ‘I've never seen such cowards in my life'
Democratic strategist James Carville ripped Columbia University for agreeing to pay $221 million to President Trump's administration to restore the school's federal funding. 'You were talking about Paramount and how they collapsed. The biggest cavers in the world is Columbia University,' Carville said during a Thursday night appearance on Fox News' 'Jesse Waters Primetime.' 'I've never seen such cowards in my life. My hat is off to Harvard. At least they have guts,' Carville added. Columbia University announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to a $200 million settlement with the federal government, which will be paid out over the next three years, and $21 million to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 'This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,' acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman said. 'The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track,' Shipman added. Columbia lost $400 million in federal funding earlier this year after the administration cut it off over a probe into antisemitism on the Ivy League's campus. The school argues the deal will allow the institution to keep its academic independence. President Trump lauded the deal. 'It's a great honor to have been involved, and I want to thank and congratulate Secretary Linda McMahon, and all those who worked with us on this important deal. I also want to thank and commend Columbia University for agreeing to do what is right,' Trump wrote on social media. 'I look forward to watching them have a great future in our Country, maybe greater than ever before!' Columbia's deal was criticized by some Democrats in Congress, including school alum Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). '[M]y alma mater has allowed a once highly-respected institution to succumb to the Trump Administration's coercive and exploitative tactics,' the New York Democrat said. 'Columbia has effectively waived the white flag of surrender in its battle at the heart of the Trump Administration's war on higher education and academic freedom.'
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez enters 2026 governor race, calls Trump a ‘maniac'
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Democratic Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez entered the battleground state's open race for governor on Friday by calling President Donald Trump a 'maniac,' as she attempts to differentiate herself in what is expected to be a crowded primary. A second Democrat, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, said in a statement Friday that in the weeks ahead he 'will be taking steps toward entering the race.' Wisconsin's 2026 governor's race is open with no incumbent running for the first time since 2010. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday that he would not seek a third term. Both Rodriguez and Crowley would make history if elected. Rodriguez, a former emergency room nurse, would be Wisconsin's first woman governor and Crowley would be the first Black governor. Several other Democrats are expected to join the race. 'We've got a maniac in the White House,' Rodriguez said in a campaign launch video. 'His tariffs are killing our farmers and his policies are hurting our kids.' Rodriguez has been lieutenant governor since 2023, after previously serving one two-year term in the state Assembly representing suburban Milwaukee, where she lives. She won a seat that had been under Republican control for years. Rodriguez emphasized her background working previously as a nurse in a Baltimore emergency room, saying she wanted to continue Evers' emphasis on fighting to protect reproductive freedom, invest in public schools and rebuild the economy. She noted that the state Legislature is within reach of Democratic control, meaning that with a Democratic governor, they could finally enact policies Republicans have blocked for years like expanding Medicaid. A registered nurse, Rodriguez previously worked as a health care executive and an epidemic intelligence service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has a master's degree in public health. Rodriguez emphasized the importance of health care, including protecting abortion rights, in a brief speech she delivered on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last year. Rodriguez, who is married with two children, launched her candidacy on her 50th birthday. In her first run for office in 2020, when she was elected to the Legislature, Rodriguez said she was motivated to get into politics because of how Republicans handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Rodriguez won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in 2022 after then-Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who held the office in Evers' first term, decided to run for the Senate. Barnes, who lost that race to Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, is among several Democrats considering a run for governor next year. Others include Attorney General Josh Kaul, state Sen. Kelda Roys, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee businessman Bill Berrien are the only announced candidates. Others, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering it.
