Catholic Bishops in Washington state are speaking out against a new law that would require them to disclose confessions of sexual abuse to law enforcement.

Last week, Gov. Robert Ferguson (D-WA) signed a law that requires clergy members to be mandated reporters, or those who are required to report suspected child abuse. The new law does not make room for an exemption if knowledge of the suspected abuse comes to light through the Catholic sacrament of confession.

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“While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse, priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation,” said Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle in a statement.

“Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church,” he added. “All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church.”

Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane also expressed opposition to the legislation. He noted that Catholic bishops and priests are prepared to face jail rather than violate the rules of the church.

“The Diocese of Spokane maintains an entire department at the Chancery, the Office of Child and Youth protection, staffed by professional laypeople. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding child sexual abuse,” Daly said in a statement. “The Sacrament of Penance is sacred and will remain that way.”

In the Catholic Church, priests are not allowed to divulge anything revealed in someone’s confession. Canon law says “the sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore, it is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason … A confessor who directly violates the seal of confession incurs an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.”

The legislation was passed 64-31 in the Washington House and 28-20 in the state Senate. The law goes into effect this July.

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Ferguson, who is Catholic and has been to confession, said he believes that the law is important to protect children. The Catholic Church has been involved with many large-scale sexual abuse scandals in the 20th and 21st centuries. 

The Department of Justice said it was launching an investigation into “the apparent conflict between Washington State’s new law with the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment, a cornerstone of the United States Constitution.”