Latest news with #CatholicPriests
Newsweek
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Catholic Church Wrong to Excommunicate Priests Over New Law: Bill's Sponsor
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Washington state Senator Noel Frame has rejected the Catholic Church's claim that it would have to excommunicate priests who comply with her new child abuse reporting law. During an interview with NRP's Dave Miller, she said: "There's nothing to say they cannot change their rules." Newsweek contacted state Senator Frame and the Archdiocese of Seattle for comment via online inquiry form and email respectively on Friday outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters The debate highlights the tension that can exist between what religious groups claim are theological requirements and secular legislation. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon told the New York Post that the new law "demands that Catholic Priests violate their deeply held faith in order to obey the law, a violation of the Constitution and a breach of the free exercise of religion" showing the Trump administration is placing itself firmly on the side of religious authority. What to Know Washington state Governor Bob Ferguson this month signed into law SB 5375, which from July 27 will make it a legal requirement for Catholic priests to report any suspected child abuse or neglect they hear about during confession to the relevant authorities. Catholic clergy were previously exempt as according to church doctrine the content of confession can't be shared without breaking Canon law. The move sparked an angry response from Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle who said: "While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse, priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation." The Archdiocese of Seattle commented: "All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church." Pope Leo XIV meeting with representatives and pilgrims of the Eastern Catholic Churches at the Nervi Hall, on May 14, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Leo XIV meeting with representatives and pilgrims of the Eastern Catholic Churches at the Nervi Hall, on May 14, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. Vatican Media/Vatican Pool/GETTY Frame, one of the legislators who sponsored the bill, discussed this issue with NPR's Miller on Wednesday. Herself a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Frame said she learned clergy were not already mandatory reporters in Washington in response to an investigation into alleged abuse within "the Jehovah's Witness community in Washington state." In response to Archbishop Etienne's comments, Frame said: "We the state of Washington have a secular legislative purpose that is to protect children from abuse and neglect and if faith communities choose through their rules not to protect children from abuse and neglect, we the state are choosing not to be complicit in that choice by their rules." Frame continued: "I am reminded that Canon law has changed many times over the years in the Catholic faith and there's nothing to say they cannot change their rules to allow the reporting of real time abuse and neglect of children. That is within their power to change and I think they should so." Canon law, the legal system governing the Catholic church, has been repeatedly modified over the years. For example, in 2015 Pope Francis streamlined the process for marriage annulments, while in 2021 he amended Canon law to allow women to be formally instituted as lectors and acolytes for the first time. On May 8, senior figures within the Catholic Church elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago as the next pope, the first American to hold the role. He chose the papal title of Pope Leo XIV. What People Are Saying During the interview Frame said: "So under our current mandatory reporting law that clergy will become apart of, they will have 48 hours to report suspected or known abuse or neglect of a child. They can call law enforcement or they can call that into our department of children, youth and families. People often hear of CPS, or Child Protective Services, they have to call that in within 48 hours so that our state agency or law enforcement can go check on that child and ensure that they are safe while they seek to substantiate whether or not abuse or neglect was happening." Addressing Newsweek, Professor Anthea Butler, chair of the department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, commented: "This is about 'the seal of the confessional' That is, the rule that when a priest hears a confession, it cannot be shared. If it is shared, it's breaking Canon Law. A priest can be excommunicated for breaking the seal of the confessional. "The situation, which the Trump administration is looking at, is interesting because there has always been this collision between the law of the local, state and national level and some aspects of canon law. Think about this not only on this level, but in issues of other types of transgressions, like murder. Terrible situation, but the for the priest, they are subject to canon law." What's Next The Trump administration is likely to continue arguing SB 5375 violates legal protections to religious liberty, potentially setting the stage for the issue to be debated in court.
Newsweek
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Catholic Bishops Defy New US State Law to Report Child Abuse
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Catholic bishops in Washington state are rejecting a new law that requires clergy to report child sexual abuse revealed during the sacrament of confession — setting up a constitutional clash between church doctrine and state law. The law requires clergy of all faiths and traditions throughout Washington to come forward about child abuse, including priests who are told about abuse during confession. However, a priest who reveals anything told to him during confession will be excommunicated from the Church, even when it comes to a crime being committed within their congregation. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is seen adorned with an American flag in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2025, as a new law in Washington state generates controversy. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is seen adorned with an American flag in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2025, as a new law in Washington state generates controversy. Aaron Schwartz/Sipa via AP Images) Why It Matters The law raises significant First Amendment questions and could reshape how religious confidentiality is handled across the U.S. While clergy are mandated reporters in most states, the majority still protect confessions as privileged communication. Washington is set to become one of the few states to explicitly deny such an exemption. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a civil rights investigation into the law, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stating that it "demands that Catholic Priests violate their deeply held faith." What To Know The new statute — signed by Governor Bob Ferguson and set to take effect July 27 — mandates clergy report suspected child abuse within 48 hours, aligning them with existing reporting laws for police officers, nurses and teachers. The law's sponsor, State senator Noel Frame, wrote the law in part due to practices within the Jehovah's Witness church that were preventing information on child abuse from coming out. Jehovah's Witnesses have an internal review process which is entirely secretive. When taken to court for this, following an investigation into their church, the Jehovah's Witnesses likened their approach to secrecy to Catholic confession. Speaking to the New York Times, former Jehovah's Witness Marino Hardin said: "Leaving an exception in for the confessional when it comes to mandatory reporting would allow any religious group that had a mandate for secrecy to say, 'We don't have to report anything.'" State senator Frame also spoke to her experience as a survivor, saying: "This is about making sure we, the state, have the information we need to go make sure that kid is OK," she told lawmakers. Bishops Thomas Daly of Spokane and Paul Etienne of Seattle have publicly stated that they will not comply with the law in cases where abuse is revealed during the sacrament of confession. "Shepherds, bishops and priests, are committed to keeping the seal of confession – even to the point of going to jail," Daly said in a statement. Archbishop Etienne echoed that stance, warning that priests who break the seal of confession face automatic excommunication. "All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential, and protected by the law of the Church," he wrote. The Spokesman-Review reported that although prior to this law clergy in Washington State were not mandatory reporters, according to Etienne, current internal church policies already designate priests as mandatory reporters for information given outside of confession. This lawsuit over the reporting law comes after the DOJ launched its task force to "Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias." This task force is set up to prosecute cases on behalf of Christians who feel they have been targeted by the government for their faith. This lawsuit also comes amid the election of the first American pope. Pope Leo XIV, originally from Chicago, weighed in on American politics prior to his appointment. However, it is unclear whether he will get involved in this case. The Vatican did speak out against a similar bill which was proposed in California in 2019, saying that the secrecy of confession was an "intrinsic requirement" of the sacrament. That bill was withdrawn before it became law. State senator Frame has said the Washington law is not anti-Catholic because it applies to all clergy in the state, including imams, rabbis, and other spiritual leaders. Pope Leo XIV, left, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, appears on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican shortly after his election to become the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on... Pope Leo XIV, left, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, appears on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican shortly after his election to become the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on May 8, 2025. More Domenico Stinellis/AP Photo What People Are Saying Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said in a statement on Wednesday: "We look forward to protecting Washington kids from sexual abuse in the face of this 'investigation' from the Trump Administration." The Reverend Bryan Pham, an assistant professor at Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington, told The New York Times: "The law has good intentions, but it's really misguided." Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle said: "This law is a clear intrusion into the practice of our Catholic faith. The state is now intruding into the practice of religion, and if they're allowed to get away with that, where do we draw the line?" What Happens Next Unless blocked, the law takes effect July 27. Catholic leaders say they will defy the law, as their choice is either jail time for ignoring the law or excommunication for following it. The DOJ's ongoing review could determine whether the measure stands or is deemed unconstitutional.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds call abuse reporting law "anti-Catholic" as church vows excommunication
The Catholic Church and federal government reacted vehemently to new legislation in Washington state that requires priests to report child abuse or neglect to law enforcement after learning about the crime through confessions. Gov. Mike Ferguson signed the controversial bill into law last week, making it mandatory for all clergy to report child abuse, without exemptions for information disclosed during confession. Confessions were previously considered privileged. The Archdiocese of Seattle — which was made up of 160 priests and 90 permanent deacons as of 2024 — said it will excommunicate priests who comply with the legislation. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice called the law "anti-Catholic" in a statement announcing a probe into the policy, just days before the Vatican selected the first pope from the United States. The Seattle Archdiocese in a statement, warned that breaking the confidence of confession is grounds for a priest to be kicked out of the church, essentially reiterating the rules already established for Catholic clergy. "Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession — or they will be excommunicated from the Church," the Archdiocese said. "All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church." Too many victims The U.S. Department of Justice said it had opened a civil rights investigation into Washington's law, focusing on how it was developed and eventually passed. It suggested the legislation could be at odds with the First Amendment, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon saying the legislation "demands that Catholic Priests violate their deeply held faith in order to obey the law." In the text of Washington's reporting law, "clergy" refers collectively to everyone ordained for religious duties in any religion, but confession as a practice is singled out because of the secrecy around it. Ferguson's office addressed the federal probe in a statement to CBS News. "We look forward to protecting Washington kids from sexual abuse in the face of this 'investigation' from the Trump Administration," the statement said. Washington lawmakers are not the first to try to mandate clergy members to report child abuse, especially as the Catholic Church has increasingly faced public reckonings over sex crimes since the turn of the century. Although a majority of U.S. states already have abuse reporting mandates in place for religious leaders, each of those laws includes a provision exempting information learned through confession. California tried in 2019 to propose a bill that would have required clergy to report abuse without that exemption, but the church fought its passage and the legislature eventually put it on hold. The legislation was originally proposed by Washington State Senator Noel Frame, whose jurisdiction includes Seattle. After two earlier attempts to pass this bill failed because of disagreements about whether confessions should be exempt from reporting mandates, the final version passed during the legislative session this spring. "Far too many children have been victims of abuse," said Frame in a statement once the latest bill had passed in the state Senate. "The Legislature has a duty to act and end the cycles of abuse that can repeat generation after generation. When kids ask for help, we need to be sure that they get help. It's time to pass this bill once and for all." The seal of confession Thomas Plante, a psychologist and professor who has worked with the church for decades and written extensively about child sexual abuse among clerics, said removing exemptions for confession could have unintentionally adverse effects. Plante told CBS News that the "absolute" confidentiality understood to apply in church confessions has, in his experience, encouraged people who have committed crimes to come clean to a priest who has then referred them to a psychologist such as himself. He said multiple patients were referred to him this way over his career, and he then reported the situation to authorities as a medical professional. "The seal of confession, which is sort of a global thing that's been going on for several thousand years, is basically that anything you say under the seal is in complete confidence, and it gives people a place to talk about stuff they can't talk about anywhere else," Plante said. "That's one advantage. People that are involved in a crime or abuse or anything else, they do have a place in the Catholic Church to talk about it with 100% confidentiality." Without that assurance, Plante said he suspects priests in Washington will stop offering confession and instead direct people to seek that service at churches in nearby states. "And I think that would be a terrible tragedy," he said. Confession is a core principle in Catholicism. It calls for private conversations where congregants or laypeople divulge their wrongdoings to a priest, and, in turn, receive forgiveness on behalf of God. Anything said during the exchanges is kept secret. Technically, priests, through their religious oaths, are bound to a seal of confidentiality after hearing confessions, and the church forbids them from sharing the information learned in those sessions with others. Catholic doctrine explicitly prohibits them from notifying authorities even after someone has confessed to a crime. The Seattle Archdiocese said they agree "with the goal of protecting children and preventing child abuse" and are committed to reporting it, as long as the information is acquired in a setting outside of confession. It also accused the state of Washington of violating constitutional protections for religious establishment and free exercise of religion. "With this law, the State of Washington is specifically targeting religious conduct by inserting the government into the Catholic tradition, namely, the highly defined ritual of the Sacrament of Reconciliation," the Archdiocese said."The state is now requiring priests to violate an essential element of the rite, the confidential communication between the priest and penitent in which the absolution of sin is offered." Washington's new law requires priests to share information from confession only if the person confessing admits to abusing a child. Last year, while Washington's current governor, Ferguson, was still the state's attorney general, he pushed to investigate Catholic church leadership in Seattle, Spokane and Yakima for allegedly using charitable funds to cover up allegations of child sex abuse by clergy. But the probe faced challenges as the church refused to cooperate, arguing it did not need to obey subpoenas for its records. Here are some of the front-runners to be the next pope Sneak peek: The Depraved Heart Murder Fraud | Sunday on 60 Minutes
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DOJ launches investigation into new state law that requires clergy to report suspected child abuse
May 6—The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into a new Washington law that designates members of the clergy as mandatory reporters of child abuse. The law, which passed out of the Legislature this session, was signed Friday by Gov. Bob Ferguson and is set to take effect on July 27. Washington is one of five states that currently does not designate clergy as mandatory reporters. Under state law, a variety of other professions that frequently interact with children, including police officers, nurses and school personnel, are required to report incidents of suspected abuse within 48 hours, with failure to do so considered a gross misdemeanor. Legislators have considered adding clergy to the list of mandatory reporters in recent years, though the efforts stalled. The legislation does not include an exemption for the information learned during penitential communication, or communication between clergy and a congregation member, such as in the confession of sins. On Monday, the Department of Justice said the new law "appears on its face to violate the First Amendment." "SB 5375 demands that Catholic Priests violate their deeply held faith in order to obey the law, a violation of the Constitution and a breach of the free exercise of religion cannot stand under our Constitutional system of government," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement. "Worse, the law appears to single out clergy as not entitled to assert applicable privileges, as compared to other reporting professionals. We take this matter very seriously and look forward to Washington State's cooperation with our investigation." The bill passed along near-party lines in the Senate in February, with two Democrats joining all Republicans in voting against the legislation. It found some support among Republicans during a vote in the House of Representatives, with five members joining with the chamber's Democrats in supporting the proposal. As he signed the bill into law on Friday, Ferguson said the legislation "protects Washingtonians from abuse and harm." A Catholic, Ferguson said his uncle served as a Jesuit priest "for many, many, many years here in the Pacific Northwest." "I obviously have a personal perspective on this," Ferguson said. "But protecting our kids first is the most important thing." Ferguson added that the need for the law was "very clear" and that it was "very important legislation." Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, the bill's sponsor, introduced similar legislation in both 2023 and 2024. In 2023, a proposal that did not contain an exemption for confidential penitential communication failed. The version proposed by Frame last year would have established a "duty to warn" for abuse disclosed in penitential communication, though that, too, failed. Ahead of the vote in the Senate, Frame told lawmakers that the bill is about "checking on the child." "This is about making sure we, the state, have the information we need to go make sure that kid is OK," Frame said. "What our mandatory reporter laws do is, it compels our Department of Children, Youth and Families or law enforcement to further investigate and substantiate that report, but in the meantime, make sure that child is safe." Sen. Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley, voted against the proposal, saying on the Senate floor that the bill could ultimately put "pastors in prison." "It sets up the legal framework to put pastors in prison," Christian said. "But not for their actions, per se, but rather because of knowledge they may have gained in their job. It's a very slippery slope." According to the Department of Justice, the investigation will be led by the agency's Civil Rights Division.
Miami Herald
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
New WA law requires priests to report child abuse. DOJ calls it ‘anti-Catholic'
National New WA law requires priests to report child abuse. DOJ calls it 'anti-Catholic' The U.S. Justice Department is investigating a new Washington state law that requires clergy members to report suspected child abuse, the agency announced May 5. A new Washington law requires Catholic priests and other religious community leaders of different faiths to report potential child abuse to state authorities. But does the law signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 2 raise constitutional issues? The question is central to a new federal civil rights probe launched under President Donald Trump's Administration. The Justice Department is investigating the passage of Washington State Senate Bill 5375, labeling the law in a May 5 news release as 'anti-Catholic.' The agency said the law 'appears on its face to violate the First Amendment' by not providing an exception 'for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic Priests.' In response to the Justice Department probe, Ferguson said in a statement to McClatchy News on May 6 that: 'We look forward to protecting Washington kids from sexual abuse in the face of this 'investigation' from the Trump Administration.' The new state law will go into effect July 27, The News Tribune reported. Are priests mandated reporters? As part of the religious tradition of the Catholic faith, specifically the Sacrament of Reconciliation, priests are meant to keep any information shared during a confession private. With Washington's new law, priests and other clergy members are now mandated reporters. That means they're obligated to share any information on potential child abuse they become aware of. In addition to priests, ordained ministers, rabbis and imams are listed as other examples of clergy members. 'When any member of the clergy…has reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect, he or she shall report such incident, or cause a report to be made, to the proper law enforcement agency or to the department,' the law states. The same goes for public employees in the state, including police officers, medical professionals and educators. However, the law makes an exception for public employees that doesn't apply to clergy members. 'Except for members of the clergy, no one shall be required to report under this section when he or she obtains the information solely as a result of a privileged communication,' the law says. Though clergy members don't fall under this exception, they can't be required to testify in court about suspected child abuse, The Washington State Standard reported. Mary Dispenza, a founder of the Catholic Accountability Project, an advocacy group based in Seattle, told the news outlet the law will ensure children 'will be safer.' The new statute isn't unique to Washington, as noted by the outlet. States with similar laws Several U.S. states have laws listing clergy members as mandated reporters, but the majority of those states allow exceptions for church leaders when it comes to communication related to their religious beliefs, including during religious confessions, according to a May 2023 report by the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a government-funded information service. Now, similar to New Hampshire and West Virginia, Washington won't allow clergy members to have that privilege, The Washington State Standard reported. As of 2023, New Hampshire and West Virginia were the only two U.S. states with laws designating religious leaders as mandated reporters that don't allow exemptions for reporting child abuse, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway's report. A few other states, such as North Carolina and Texas, don't explicitly list clergy as mandated reporters but may consider them as such, the report says. These states also don't allow exceptions for clergy members when it comes to 'cases of suspected child abuse or neglect.' The Justice Department Civil Rights Division is leading the investigation into Washington's new law and whether it violates freedom of religion under the First Amendment. The full text of the law can be read here. Julia Marnin McClatchy DC Go to X Email this person Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy's National Real-Time Team, she's also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.
