Court blocks attempt to violate church confessional practice
A federal court ruling has blocked a scheme by leftists to do violence to the church confessional practice.
The new law in Washington state would have forced Catholic priests to choose fines and jail time or excommunication from their faith.
The law, set to take effect in just a week, “threatened to impose penalties of up to 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and potential civil liability on priests who uphold the seal of confession and obey God’s command.”
The church has confirmed that priests who violate the secrecy of the confessional can be excommunicated.
That secrecy has been allowed for generations in order to allow people who have committed crimes to reconcile with God, through the church, without being reported to police.
“Although the state claims the law was designed to protect minors, it still permits attorneys and others to maintain confidentiality when given identical information,” according to a statement from Becket, which has worked on the case.
The Catholic Church in the state already has strengthened protections of children with required reporting of suspected abuse and more.
However, the exception for the sacrament of confession has been maintained.
“This ruling confirms what has always been true: In America, government officials have no business prying into the confessional,” said Mark Rienzi, president of Becket. “By protecting the seal of confession, the court has also safeguarded the basic principle that people of all faiths should be free to practice their beliefs without government interference.”
“The First Amendment did its work today in protecting the confessional, and I am proud of the Church for its continued support of the reporting law’s application outside of that context,” noted Hiram Sasser of First Liberty Institute, which also has worked on the case.
Following a hearing just days ago on the fight, the court ruled the state was unable “to explain why the language … of the bill doubled down on singling out clergy.”
First Liberty explained, “For centuries, the Catholic Church has upheld the belief that confession is holy and must stay private. This principle—known as the seal of confession or sacramental seal—requires absolute secrecy from priests about anything said while administering the sacrament. A priest has a sacred obligation to keep everything he hears during the sacrament of confession completely confidential. The seal is so vital to the Catholic faith that any priest who violates it faces automatic excommunication.
“Over the centuries, priests have been imprisoned, tortured, and even killed for upholding the seal. Penitents today need the same assurance that their participation in a holy sacrament will remain free from government interference.”
“For centuries, Catholic faithful around the world have sought reconciliation with God through the sacrament of confession,” said Jean Hill of the Washington State Catholic Conference. “This ruling protects that sacred space and ensures that Washingtonians of all religious stripes can live out their beliefs in peace.”