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7/20/2025, 8:59:56 AM
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".
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".
7/20/2025, 8:58:14 AM
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