Washington state has reached an agreement to stop forcing Catholic priests to report confessions of abuse, ending a legal dispute over a controversial new law.
According to an agreement filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, state officials have accepted a permanent injunction that prevents the enforcement of the law against “the Catholic Sacrament of Confession and/or any other privileged communication.”
“State Defendants and County Prosecutor Defendants agree not to appeal the Preliminary Injunction order … or to appeal from or otherwise challenge the enforceability or validity of this Stipulated Permanent Injunction Order and Final Judgment, or any other rulings entered to date in this matter by this Court, in this or any other proceeding,” the district court order stated.
“State Defendants and County Prosecutor Defendants agree that the Court’s Stipulated Permanent Injunction Order and Final Judgment in this matter has the same force and precedential effect as if it had been entered following a dispositive motion or trial on the merits.”
Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket Law, which helped to represent the plaintiffs, stated in a Friday press release that the agreement was “a victory for religious freedom.”
“Washington was wise to walk away from this draconian law and allow Catholic clergy to continue ministering to the faithful,” Rienzi commented.
“This is a victory for religious freedom and for common sense. Priests should never be forced to make the impossible choice of betraying their sacred vows or going to jail.”
The Office of the Attorney General of Washington issued a press release noting that, under the agreement, clergy in the state will still be mandatory reporters in circumstances outside of the confessional.
Senate Bill 5375 added clergy to the list of professionals required to report instances of child abuse or neglect to law enforcement, even if the report is made through “privileged communication.”
Critics, including Roman Catholic Church officials and conservatives, argued that the law violated religious freedom and Catholic teachings.
In June, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint intervening against the state law, claiming it “unlawfully targets clergy and, specifically, Catholic priests.”
Archbishop Paul Etienne of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the law, stated that “priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation.”
He emphasized that the archdiocese “remains committed to reporting child sexual abuse, working with victim survivors towards healing and protecting all minors and vulnerable people.”
The archbishop added, “People of every religion in the state of Washington and beyond should be alarmed by this overreach of our Legislature and governor.”
