Roman Catholic leaders and the U.S. Justice Department are challenging a law enacted by the state legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson that mandates clergy members report child abuse and neglect. The disagreement centers around information gathered during private confessions.
Implementation of Washington’s controversial law looms large this month, as it is slated to take effect on July 27.
The existing law excludes clergy from those mandated to report child abuse. It states that individuals at nonprofit or for-profit organizations are required to report abuse or neglect if it involves someone they supervise who frequently has unsupervised access to children. However, there is an exception indicating that reporting is not necessary when the information comes entirely through privileged communication.
A confession sign inside the church at the Mary Queen of the Universe Shrine (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The U.S. government filed a motion for a preliminary injunction last month.
