The state of Washington declared war on the Roman Catholic Church in May when Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5375 into law. The bill requires Catholic clergy to break the seal of confession and inform on a penitent who confesses to child abuse.
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The law gives priests a choice: Violate the sanctity of the confessional and suffer excommunication, or refuse to report the abuse and go to prison.
The sanctity of the confessional has been recognized in America since 1813, when a New York court refused to compel a priest to reveal what a man accused of stealing jewelry told him during confession.
Senate Bill 5375 “adds clergy to Washington’s list of mandatory reporters for child abuse but explicitly denies them the
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