Latest news with #SB5375
Miami Herald
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Law requiring clergy to report child abuse anti-Catholic, DOJ claims
SALT LAKE CITY, May 22 (UPI) -- A new Washington state law that requires members of the clergy to report child abuse or neglect, including when the information is revealed in confession, is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. The DOJ claims the law is anti-Catholic and appears on its face to violate the First Amendment. The investigation, which was announced earlier this month, will look at the development and passage of Senate Bill 5375. The bill, which adds clergy members to the list of mandatory reporters, was passed by the Senate in a 28-20 vote and 64-31 by the House. It was signed into law May 2 by Gov. Bob Ferguson and is to go into effect July 27. A DOJ news release says the law has no exception for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic priests. "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 Dhillon said in the release. "Worse, the law appears to single out clergy as not entitled to assert applicable privileges, as compared to other reporting professionals," Dhillon said. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, disputes those claims and said the law is not anti-Catholic. She pointed out that members of the clergy are defined as a licensed, accredited or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, imam, elder or similarly situated religious or spiritual leader of any church, religious denomination, religious body, spiritual community or sect. Mandated reporters include law enforcement officers, professional school personnel, social service counselors, nurses, psychologists and licensed childcare providers, among others. If they have reasonable cause to believe a child has suffered abuse or neglect, they are required to report that to law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Under the new law, clergy members must report abuse, but cannot be compelled to testify against the penitent in a court case or criminal proceedings. "We are talking in our case here about really simply just the reporting in real time of known or suspected abuse and neglect of children in real time," Frame said. "We're simply saying, if you believe or you know that a child is actively being abused or neglected, call it in so we can go check on that child to make sure that they are safe." Archbishop Paul Etienne of the Archdiocese of Seattle descibted the the law as government overreach. After the apostles were thrown into jail for preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, St. Peter responded, "We must obey God rather than men," he said in a written statement. "This is our stance now in the face of this new law," Etienne said. "Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession -- or they will be excommunicated from the Church. All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the church." The Catholic Church in the United States has been reporting incidents of abuse to law enforcement and cooperating with civil authorities for decades, according to Etienne. Those efforts began in 1986 in the Seattle Archdiocese, he said. "Our policies already require priests to be mandatory reporters, but not if this information is obtained during confession," Etienne said. Frame countered that voluntarily complying with part of the law does not make priests mandatory reporters. "They may be if they are a teacher, for instance, but they are not mandatory reporters in their role as clergy," she said. "And to say that we're already mandated reporters has caused great confusion such that people think the only point of this bill was to 'go after confession.' Not true." The senator has been trying since 2022 to pass legislation to make clergy mandatory reporters. Articles by Investigative West about how a Jehovah's Witnesses community in Washington allegedly was covering up sexual abuse of children spurred her effort. The nonprofit news organization reported the community was handling complaints internally and abuse was not being addressed. Frame, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a family member from ages 5 to 10, said children need to know that if they ask a trusted adult such as a faith leader for help, they'll get it. "I told the mandated reporter about the abuse and that's how it was stopped, and that was my teacher," she said. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which advocated for passage of SB 5375 through its FFRF Action Fund lobbying arm, said the law closes a longstanding and dangerous loophole that allowed clergy to withhold information about child abuse. "FFRF urges the DOJ to immediately drop this politically motivated and legally unsound investigation," the organization said in a news release. "Protecting children from harm must be a priority that transcends religious boundaries. It is not anti-Christian to hold clergy accountable -- it is pro-child, pro-justice and pro-human rights." Other states that do not have an exemption for penitential communication as of May 2023 are New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway. The Utah Legislature passed a bill last year that does not make clergy mandated reporters, but protects them from civil and criminal liability if they report ongoing abuse or neglect even if the information came from a penitent during confession. Utah Rep. Anthony Loubet, R-Kearns, said he sponsored House Bill 432 after constituents reached out to him. Some religious organizations had implemented their own reporting requirements, but the protection from liability applied only to mandated reporters, which did not include clergy, he said. Members of the clergy like having this option, Loubet said. "This made it clear that they could report if they wanted to and if they did, they received the protection," he said. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Law requiring clergy to report child abuse anti-Catholic, DOJ claims
SALT LAKE CITY, May 22 (UPI) -- A new Washington state law that requires members of the clergy to report child abuse or neglect, including when the information is revealed in confession, is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. The DOJ claims the law is anti-Catholic and appears on its face to violate the First Amendment. The investigation, which was announced earlier this month, will look at the development and passage of Senate Bill 5375. The bill, which adds clergy members to the list of mandatory reporters, was passed by the Senate in a 28-20 vote and 64-31 by the House. It was signed into law May 2 by Gov. Bob Ferguson and is to go into effect July 27. A DOJ news release says the law has no exception for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic priests. "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 Dhillon said in the release. "Worse, the law appears to single out clergy as not entitled to assert applicable privileges, as compared to other reporting professionals," Dhillon said. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, disputes those claims and said the law is not anti-Catholic. She pointed out that members of the clergy are defined as a licensed, accredited or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, imam, elder or similarly situated religious or spiritual leader of any church, religious denomination, religious body, spiritual community or sect. Mandated reporters include law enforcement officers, professional school personnel, social service counselors, nurses, psychologists and licensed childcare providers, among others. If they have reasonable cause to believe a child has suffered abuse or neglect, they are required to report that to law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Under the new law, clergy members must report abuse, but cannot be compelled to testify against the penitent in a court case or criminal proceedings. "We are talking in our case here about really simply just the reporting in real time of known or suspected abuse and neglect of children in real time," Frame said. "We're simply saying, if you believe or you know that a child is actively being abused or neglected, call it in so we can go check on that child to make sure that they are safe." Archbishop Paul Etienne of the Archdiocese of Seattle descibted the the law as government overreach. After the apostles were thrown into jail for preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, St. Peter responded, "We must obey God rather than men," he said in a written statement. "This is our stance now in the face of this new law," Etienne said. "Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession -- or they will be excommunicated from the Church. All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the church." The Catholic Church in the United States has been reporting incidents of abuse to law enforcement and cooperating with civil authorities for decades, according to Etienne. Those efforts began in 1986 in the Seattle Archdiocese, he said. "Our policies already require priests to be mandatory reporters, but not if this information is obtained during confession," Etienne said. Frame countered that voluntarily complying with part of the law does not make priests mandatory reporters. "They may be if they are a teacher, for instance, but they are not mandatory reporters in their role as clergy," she said. "And to say that we're already mandated reporters has caused great confusion such that people think the only point of this bill was to 'go after confession.' Not true." The senator has been trying since 2022 to pass legislation to make clergy mandatory reporters. Articles by Investigative West about how a Jehovah's Witnesses community in Washington allegedly was covering up sexual abuse of children spurred her effort. The nonprofit news organization reported the community was handling complaints internally and abuse was not being addressed. Frame, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a family member from ages 5 to 10, said children need to know that if they ask a trusted adult such as a faith leader for help, they'll get it. "I told the mandated reporter about the abuse and that's how it was stopped, and that was my teacher," she said. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which advocated for passage of SB 5375 through its FFRF Action Fund lobbying arm, said the law closes a longstanding and dangerous loophole that allowed clergy to withhold information about child abuse. "FFRF urges the DOJ to immediately drop this politically motivated and legally unsound investigation," the organization said in a news release. "Protecting children from harm must be a priority that transcends religious boundaries. It is not anti-Christian to hold clergy accountable -- it is pro-child, pro-justice and pro-human rights." Other states that do not have an exemption for penitential communication as of May 2023 are New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway. The Utah Legislature passed a bill last year that does not make clergy mandated reporters, but protects them from civil and criminal liability if they report ongoing abuse or neglect even if the information came from a penitent during confession. Utah Rep. Anthony Loubet, R-Kearns, said he sponsored House Bill 432 after constituents reached out to him. Some religious organizations had implemented their own reporting requirements, but the protection from liability applied only to mandated reporters, which did not include clergy, he said. Members of the clergy like having this option, Loubet said. "This made it clear that they could report if they wanted to and if they did, they received the protection," he said.
UPI
22-05-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Law requiring clergy to report child abuse anti-Catholic, DOJ claims
1 of 2 | A Department of Justice news release says the Washington state law has no exception for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic priests. Photo by cottonbro studio/ Pexels SALT LAKE CITY, May 22 (UPI) -- A new Washington state law that requires members of the clergy to report child abuse or neglect, including when the information is revealed in confession, is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. The DOJ claims the law is anti-Catholic and appears on its face to violate the First Amendment. The investigation, which was announced earlier this month, will look at the development and passage of Senate Bill 5375. The bill, which adds clergy members to the list of mandatory reporters, was passed by the Senate in a 28-20 vote and 64-31 by the House. It was signed into law May 2 by Gov. Bob Ferguson and is to go into effect July 27. A DOJ news release says the law has no exception for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic priests. "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 Dhillon said in the release. "Worse, the law appears to single out clergy as not entitled to assert applicable privileges, as compared to other reporting professionals," Dhillon said. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, disputes those claims and said the law is not anti-Catholic. She pointed out that members of the clergy are defined as a licensed, accredited or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, imam, elder or similarly situated religious or spiritual leader of any church, religious denomination, religious body, spiritual community or sect. Mandated reporters include law enforcement officers, professional school personnel, social service counselors, nurses, psychologists and licensed childcare providers, among others. If they have reasonable cause to believe a child has suffered abuse or neglect, they are required to report that to law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Under the new law, clergy members must report abuse, but cannot be compelled to testify against the penitent in a court case or criminal proceedings. "We are talking in our case here about really simply just the reporting in real time of known or suspected abuse and neglect of children in real time," Frame said. "We're simply saying, if you believe or you know that a child is actively being abused or neglected, call it in so we can go check on that child to make sure that they are safe." Archbishop Paul Etienne of the Archdiocese of Seattle descibted the the law as government overreach. After the apostles were thrown into jail for preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, St. Peter responded, "We must obey God rather than men," he said in a written statement. "This is our stance now in the face of this new law," Etienne said. "Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession -- or they will be excommunicated from the Church. All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the church." The Catholic Church in the United States has been reporting incidents of abuse to law enforcement and cooperating with civil authorities for decades, according to Etienne. Those efforts began in 1986 in the Seattle Archdiocese, he said. "Our policies already require priests to be mandatory reporters, but not if this information is obtained during confession," Etienne said. Frame countered that voluntarily complying with part of the law does not make priests mandatory reporters. "They may be if they are a teacher, for instance, but they are not mandatory reporters in their role as clergy," she said. "And to say that we're already mandated reporters has caused great confusion such that people think the only point of this bill was to 'go after confession.' Not true." The senator has been trying since 2022 to pass legislation to make clergy mandatory reporters. Articles by Investigative West about how a Jehovah's Witnesses community in Washington allegedly was covering up sexual abuse of children spurred her effort. The nonprofit news organization reported the community was handling complaints internally and abuse was not being addressed. Frame, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a family member from ages 5 to 10, said children need to know that if they ask a trusted adult such as a faith leader for help, they'll get it. "I told the mandated reporter about the abuse and that's how it was stopped, and that was my teacher," she said. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which advocated for passage of SB 5375 through its FFRF Action Fund lobbying arm, said the law closes a longstanding and dangerous loophole that allowed clergy to withhold information about child abuse. "FFRF urges the DOJ to immediately drop this politically motivated and legally unsound investigation," the organization said in a news release. "Protecting children from harm must be a priority that transcends religious boundaries. It is not anti-Christian to hold clergy accountable -- it is pro-child, pro-justice and pro-human rights." Other states that do not have an exemption for penitential communication as of May 2023 are New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway. The Utah Legislature passed a bill last year that does not make clergy mandated reporters, but protects them from civil and criminal liability if they report ongoing abuse or neglect even if the information came from a penitent during confession. Utah Rep. Anthony Loubet, R-Kearns, said he sponsored House Bill 432 after constituents reached out to him. Some religious organizations had implemented their own reporting requirements, but the protection from liability applied only to mandated reporters, which did not include clergy, he said. Members of the clergy like having this option, Loubet said. "This made it clear that they could report if they wanted to and if they did, they received the protection," he said.
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.
Herald Malaysia
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Civil rights probe over law requiring priests to break confessional secrecy
Washington legislation will make members of the clergy mandatory reporters of any instances of child abuse or neglect May 08, 2025 This undated photo shows a confessional located within a church. (Photo: Canva) By Kate Scanlon, OSV News The Justice Department said May 5 it opened a civil rights investigation into the development and passage of legislation in Washington state that requires clergy to report child abuse or neglect but provides no exceptions for clergy-penitent privilege. Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 2 signed into law Senate Bill 5375, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Noel Frame of Seattle, which will make members of the clergy mandatory reporters, or people required by law to report suspected or known instances of child abuse or neglect. The version of the legislation signed into law did not include an exception to the requirement for sacramental confessions. Other mandatory reporters in Washington state include school personnel, nurses, social service counselors and psychologists. While some have argued the bill addresses an important omission from the state's list of mandatory reporters, others have expressed concern that without exceptions for the clergy-penitent privilege, the law could place Catholic priests at odds with civil law in order to uphold church law regarding the seal of the confessional. The Justice Department said it planned to investigate what it called an apparent conflict between Washington state's new law and the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement, "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." "Worse, the law appears to single out clergy as not entitled to assert applicable privileges, as compared to other reporting professionals," Dhillon said. "We take this matter very seriously and look forward to Washington State's cooperation with our investigation." Every U.S. state, district or territory has some form of mandatory reporting law. Most states that specifically include clergy in their mandatory reporting laws provide some clergy-penitent privileges to varying degrees, according to data from the Child Welfare Information Gateway, which operates under the Children's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Washington State Catholic Conference opposed the particular version of the legislation that was approved by the Legislature, urging lawmakers to amend it "to provide a narrow exception for confidential communications between a member of the clergy and a penitent person of faith." "The majority of states that include clergy as mandatory reporters include an exemption for confidential communications, demonstrating that the states' interests in child protection can be achieved without violating the right to free exercise of religion," the conference said in an April advocacy bulletin. The conference, which is the public policy arm of the state's Catholic bishops, previously supported a different version of the legislation to make clergy mandatory reporters with an exemption for the sacrament of confession. After signing the bill on May 2, Ferguson told reporters that he is Catholic and sees the legislation as "pretty straightforward." "My uncle was a Jesuit priest for many years, [I've] been to confession myself -- and so I'm very familiar with that," he said, according to KXLY-TV. "I felt this was important legislation and protecting kids is first priority." In a May 4 statement, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle said, "The Catholic Church agrees with the goal of protecting children and preventing child abuse." "The Archdiocese of Seattle remains committed to reporting child sexual abuse, working with victim survivors towards healing and protecting all minors and vulnerable people," he said. "Our policies already require priests to be mandatory reporters, but not if this information is obtained during confession." Archbishop Etienne expressed concern that priests would be placed in a position where they could not comply with the law if such information were revealed through the sacrament of confession. "Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church," he said. "All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church."--
