The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a formal motion to intervene in a case out of Washington that seeks to amend a state law requiring priests to report child abuse to authorities.
In May, Washington state lawmakers passed a bill requiring churches to report allegations of child abuse within 48 hours.
This is the same law that physicians, nurses, social workers, teachers, law enforcement officers, childcare providers, and others have to follow. In fact, clergy in all 50 states are mandatory reporters of child abuse, but 33 states have exemptions for confessionals and spiritual counseling.
A lawsuit brought by the Archdiocese of Seattle argues that the law forces priests to violate their religious duties in order to obey the state. The lawsuit seeks to amend the law to exclude child abuse discovered during confessions.
Essentially, they agree priests should be required to report allegations of child abuse UNLESS that allegation is made during confession.
The Trump administration thinks that’s not enough.
Rather than create a carveout in the law for confessions, the Justice Department wants to overturn the state’s new mandatory reporting law altogether — protecting child abusers under the guise of religious freedom.
On July 18, a federal judge issues an injunction temporarily blocking Washington from enforcing the new law.
