‘Washington was wise to walk away from this draconian law’
By Bob Unruh
The state of Washington has caved in to a coalition of Catholic priests.
And the bottom line is that state authorities are giving up their quest to order Catholic priests to violate the sacred seal of the confessional.
“Washington was wise to walk away from this draconian law and allow Catholic clergy to continue ministering to the faithful,” explained Becket CEO Mark Rienzi. “This is a victory for religious freedom and for common sense. Priests should never be forced to make the impossible choice of betraying their sacred vows or going to jail.”
The state had adopted an agenda that purported to require priests to report certain information that they may obtain through the confessional.
“Preventing abuse and upholding the sacred seal of confession are not mutually exclusive—we can and must do both,” added Jean Hill, of the Washington State Catholic Conference. “That’s why the church supported the law’s goal from the beginning and only asked for a narrow exemption to protect the sacrament. We’re grateful the state ultimately recognized it can prevent abuse without forcing priests to violate their sacred vows.”
The fight in Etienne v. Ferguson was over a state demand that priests report “information” shared with them within the sacred confines of the church’s “Sacrament of Confession.”