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 ...

The Catholic Church has vowed to excommunicate any priest who follows a new Washington state law requiring clergy to report information about child abuse to law enforcement — even if given in the ...

Catholic Bishops in Washington state are speaking out against a new law that would require them to disclose confessions of sexual abuse to law enforcement. Last week, Gov. Robert Ferguson (D-WA) ...

The Washington Capitol is pictured in Olympia April 11, 2020. Washington state's Catholic bishops filed a lawsuit May 29, 2025, over a new law that requires clergy to report child abuse or neglect but ...

Washington State is backing off its controversial push to force Catholic priests into violating the seal of confession in order to comply with a law requiring them to report suspected child abuse.

Confession, the Catholic and Orthodox practice of listing one’s sins in the presence of a priest who then offers absolution and is sworn to secrecy under pain of eternal damnation, has long been a ...