NCR interviews James O'Toole, whose new book, For I Have Sinned, details the growth and eventual decline of confession in the ...

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 ...

(RNS) — In May, Washington state passed a law requiring clergy to report child abuse to the authorities even when it is revealed during the sacrament of confession — a betrayal of confidence known as ...

Washington state officials have agreed to a permanent court order that prevents the enforcement of a controversial law provision which sought to criminalize Orthodox Christian priests for upholding ...

A federal court on July 18 blocked a controversial Washington state reporting law that would require priests to violate the seal of confession, siding with the state’s Catholic bishops who brought ...

The Catholic Church is pushing back against a new law that was rushed through the legislature by Democrats over concerns of clergy, requiring priests to break the confidentiality of confession.

Roman Catholic priests in Washington cannot be required to report child abuse or neglect they learn of in confession, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Court Chief Judge David G. Estudillo ...

The state of Washington reached an agreement with Catholic officials this week not to require priests to report information that they learn in sacramental confession about suspected child abuse or ...

A group of Orthodox churches is suing to block a new law in Washington State that requires priests to violate the seal of confession and report incidents of child abuse. In May, Washington’s ...

Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. Joanne M. Pierce, College of the Holy Cross (THE CONVERSATION) In the autum on ...

Gov. Bob Ferguson, at podium, goes to shake hands with state Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, at the signing of a bill to make clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect, on May 2, 2025 in ...