As its cardinals gather for their conclave today at the Vatican, the Catholic Church and other faiths find itself under assault — not just in China and North Korea, but in the state of Washington. Despite impassioned opposition, Gov. Bob Ferguson has signed a new law stripping members of the clergy of their ability to hear confessions as “privileged communication.” The state legislature passed SB 5375 to explicitly target the confessional and require priests and ministers to report any confession involving potential child abuse.
The title makes the intent clear: “AN ACT Relating to the duty of clergy to report child abuse and neglect”, and so does the language. It redefines “member of the clergy” to include both ordained ministers and priests as well as lay ministers, and asserts authority over the conduct of:
official duties that are recognized as the…
