https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/washington-state-child-abuse-catholic-priests-b2791985.html
A federal judge has ruled that Catholic priests in Washington state cannot be required to report child abuse or neglect they learn about through confession after the Trump administration intervened in their favor.
Three Roman Catholic bishops had sued the state government over a new law — SB 5375 — that would extend mandatory abuse reporting rules to the sacrament of confession despite the Church's absolute ban on revealing such secrets.
Last month the U.S. Department of Justice backed them up, arguing the law "deprives Catholic priests of their fundamental right to freely exercise their religious beliefs, as guaranteed under the First Amendment".
On Friday U.S. district judge David G. Estudillo ruled the priests were "likely to succeed" in their lawsuit and issued a preliminary injunction blocking that part of the law.
"There is no question that SB 5375 burdens plaintiffs’ free exercise of religion," Estudillo wrote. "In situations where Plaintiffs hear confessions related to child abuse or neglect, SB 5375 places them in the position of either complying with the requirements of their faith or violating the law...
"As [the plaintiff] stated, any priest who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs automatic excommunication, and thereby risks eternal damnation...
"Ultimately, Washington’s failure to demonstrate why it has an interest of the highest order in denying an exemption to clergy while making such exemptions available to other professionals who work with underserved children is likely fatal."
It comes after the Trump administration cut funding for investigating child sexual abuse, and refused to release promised documents about the crimes and associates of Jeffrey Epstein, as it seeks to define transgender rights and healthcare for under-18s as a form of "child abuse".
SB 5375 was signed into law in May by Washington's Democratic governor Bob Ferguson, and will take effect on July 27. Ferguson told reporters he had no hesitation about signing it. Ferguson is Catholic and has been to confession.
As state attorney general, Ferguson had accused the Catholic Church of refusing to cooperate with an investigation into whether it unlawfully used charitable funds to cover up sexual abuse by priests.
The new law adds religious leaders and priests to a list of professions that can be criminally charged if they do not report suspected abuse or neglect, alongside teachers, doctors, nurses, childcare providers, and many others.
Previously, priests were only required to report if the suspected perpetrator was someone they had authority over, and were exempted from doing so if they learned about it through a "privileged communication" such as confession.
Washington's Catholic leadership objected, saying the Church's prohibition on breaking the "seal of confession" is absolute and threatens to excommunicate any Catholic priests who follow the law.
"All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential, and protected by the law of the Church," said Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, citing a Bible passage in which St Peter says: "We must obey God rather than men."
The priests' lawsuit argued that SB 5375 infringed upon their first amendment rights and treated them differently than other professions. They cited a separate bill that exempts some lawyers and their employees if the information was obtained through confidential dealings with clients.
Estudillo's judgement zeroed in on that contrast, writing: "The government interest at issue in both statutes — protecting children from abuse and neglect — is the same. Nevertheless, one law eliminates the privilege for clergy while the other expands the privileges available to secular professionals."
Trump's Justice Department weighed in too, calling the law "anti-Catholic" and saying "a more direct burden on the exercise of religion would be difficult to imagine".
The judge did not block any other part of the law, which means clergy will still be required to report abuse they learn about outside confession, even if they have no authority over the suspected perpetrator.
The case is ongoing and the final outcome could still change. Washington's Eastern Orthodox Christian leaders have also filed a similar lawsuit.
Establishment pedophiles have always got away with it. As usual, it's the poor working class pedophiles that have to take the punishment.
What's next? Child sacrifice is illegal?
>>1421142 (OP)>Nooo stop talking about Epstein I'm not a pedo!!>Anyway, let me back this case protecting pedos.Fucking christ. This man is such complete scum.
>>1421142 (OP)>Trump intervened in their favor>which party is Trump leader of, and which party's politicians refuse to make child marriages in certain states illegal, even before all this about the Epstein List Gang Of Pedophiles indeed
Biden is the last Catholic president tho.
>>1421184and has anyone considered the pertinence of his son's penis
>>1421185It's all I've thought about for the past five years
t. 2A activist/ultra maga
>>1421184>>1421185Biden isn't president, though. Trump - the head of the party that won't make illegal child marriages - is. And has ensured that pedo priests can continue being kiddy diddlers. That party being the GOP.
Gang of Pedophiles.
>>1421184How is Biden related to this?
>>1421194Biden is the only thing that brainrotted shills can turn to so they can keep ignoring Trumps rampant child fucking
Its just cope
>>1421142 (OP)>Catholic priestsSo they're on the same level as Jewish Rabbis now?
>>1421199Catholic priests had hundreds of thousands of victims so no
>>1421196Do you know what the best part - but only for non-MAGAtards - is? All Trump had to do is say right at the start that Biden had destroyed the Epstein Files. It was THAT simple for the GOP to come out of this smelling of roses. But they didn't think of that. It's too late now. The whole Epstein thing is now a political septic tank that's exploded all over the Republicans and they're never getting rid of the smell of pedophilia that's infected them.
The Democrats can afford to throw Bill Clinton under the bus, but can the Reps do the same with Trump? They'd better, or the Epstein Scandal will be to Trump what Watergate was to Nixon. And there's the midterms coming up. The damage has already been done. The only possible chance of winning in 2028 is for the Repubs to throw Trump under the bus. But there's still the stink of that which'll ultimately do for Trump the kidfucker, and it's those within that party who won't make marriages for those under 18 illegal. They're still the Gang Of Pedophiles. And their voters are still pedo enablers.
>>1421197his numerous court cases where he had to pay multi-million dollar settlements to the families of the children so they would drop it
>>1421209All they had to do was not take Musk's bait when he said Trump was on the list. Instead they waited and chose the route of vocally trying to shove it under a rug.
>>1421142 (OP)the Church has always been very protective of the seal of confession. Nearly all Catholic priests would rather be tortured or go to prison than disclose something they heard in the confessional and the confessor’s identity.
>>1421216I've just now heard of this. Will they not even disclose fucking murder?!
>>1421209> Epstein Scandal will be to Trump what Watergate was to Nixon. I think it's already worse, anon. He barely has a defense stance on this, the current strategy of brushing off as nothing is not working. Dems and the media won't let this shit slide, Republicans are already flipping with bypartisan agreements. Every day some new shit hits the fan that makes the entire situation even worse... it's over, I'd say.
If someone confessed to a priest that they were going to as*as*ina*e tRump, I wonder if the priest would rat the potential assa**in out and if trump would change his opinion on the sacrosanctity of bconfession?
I in no way advocate the as*assi*ati*n of any one.
>>1421216>>1421217I mean...that IS the entire point of a confessional.
>>1421216Scripture doesn't set forth any prescription for Catholic confessional rituals. The doctrine serves only to give secrecy to men who run a church. They're circling the wagons to maintain their aristocracy while trying to pretend anyone else's soul is at stake if they don't get to keep it.
>>1421217>I've just now heard of thisRead a book. It's been like this for over a thousand years. It is literally the point of Catholic confession
>>1421213>his numerous court cases where he had to pay multi-million dollar settlements to the families of the children so they would drop itSounds made up. Do you actually have a source that isn't yourself?
>>1421230>>1421232Well that's messed up. Glad to know that murder can be covered up as long as one priest determines that the murderer was "sincere".
>>1421239How have you never heard of this?
>>1421232 ain't kidding, this is some of the oldest news there is.
>>1421246Trump raping kids is old news?
Then why did people vote him president? Do all MAGA rape children too?
>>1421246>How have you never heard of thisHe probably had heard this, but he's also a retard off his meds, a dangerous combination
>>1421249That's irrelevant, but...
>Trump raping kids is old news? Kinda, yeah. Still shitty, but nothing new.
>Then why did people vote him president?Because they're stupid. There's more reasons beyond that, but most of them track back to them being stupid.
>Do all MAGA rape children too?No, of course not, but if I was a child-fucker I'd know what party I'd be voting for.
>>1421246>>1421251Even the most knowledgeable people have "obvious" facts they've never heard of. No need to be rude.
>>1421246>How have you never heard of thisCatholicism isn't very popular in India
>>1421202So, Jewish rabbis *don't* suck off every baby?
>>1421323>Jewish rabbisBetter call the Department of Redundancy Department, certainly about the Christians' Jesus being referred to as 'Rabbi'. INRI.
Christianity is just an offshoot of Judaism, so you tell me about those who follow a 'Rabbi' and suck off little boys in Catholic churches
>>1421194He's not, they are just running out of stuff to blame him for since the orange kiddy diddler is in charge now and they don't know how to cope with their precious leader reneging on promises made. What happened to "promises made, promises kept" ?
>>1421354>What happened to "promises made, promises kept""Sure we made promises, the best promises, Obama and Biden could not give you these promises if they wanted to. But nows a different time, and we have children to rape, so we're not going to do the promises."
>>1421142 (OP)But isn't part of the confession process that the confessor has to do penance which includes making it right with god and the law?
So if the confessor doesn't actually go to the law with their crimes, they haven't actually completed their confession sacrament and if they haven't actually gone through with the confession, then there is no sacred right to protect.
>>1421458Holy fuck Rakesh, it's like you just made up 2/3 of a post on a subject that is easily searchable anywhere online
>>1421484thanks for letting us know you're indian
