Washington State permanently withdrew the law requiring clergy to violate the sacred “seal of confession” by reporting sexual abuse that was disclosed in a confession booth, according to a court order ...

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 ...

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 ...

Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington State recently signed into law legislation obligating Catholic clergy to disclose reports of child abuse heard during sacramental confessions, adding “members of ...

Washington state's bishops filed a lawsuit May 29 over a new law requiring clergy to report child abuse or neglect without exceptions for clergy-penitent privilege. First reported by The Pillar, the ...

Ben Johnson is senior reporter and editor at The Washington Stand. A newly enacted law forcing priests to reveal the details of their members’ private confessions under penalty of fine or imprisonment ...

(The Conversation) — The Catholic Church treats information shared during confession as absolutely confidential – but that requirement can create legal dilemmas. (The Conversation) — The 1953 Alfred ...