Washington State Agrees to Drop Effort to Force Priests to Report Child Abuse Revealed During Confession

UPDATE: WA won't force clergy to report child abuse disclosed in confession

Washington has abandoned its effort to force Catholic priests and other religious leaders to divulge information on child abuse and neglect they learn of in confession. With a pair of legal filings, the state agreed not to enforce the controversial provision of a new state law that adds clergy to a list of professions that must report to law enforcement when they have “reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect.” Stip…

Washington State Agrees to Drop Effort to Force Priests to Report Child Abuse Revealed During Confession

The agreement represents a major victory for Catholic bishops, who challenged the law’s constitutionality. In a major victory for Catholic bishops, the state of Washington has agreed to abandon its effort to force priests to report child abuse they learn of in confession — or face imprisonment for failing to do so. The state’s agreement Friday came in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma by the bishops of the Washington’s three Cathol