This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The state of Washington has caved in to a coalition of Catholic priests.
And the bottom line is that state authorities are giving up their quest to order Catholic priests to violate the sacred seal of the confessional.
"Washington was wise to walk away from this draconian law and allow Catholic clergy to continue ministering to the faithful," explained Becket CEO Mark Rienzi. "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 state had adopted an agenda that purported to require priests to report certain information that they may obtain through the confessional.
"Preventing abuse and upholding the sacred seal of confession are not mutually exclusive—we can and must do both," added Jean Hill, of the Washington State Catholic Conference. "That's why the church supported the law's goal from the beginning and only asked for a narrow exemption to protect the sacrament. We're grateful the state ultimately recognized it can prevent abuse without forcing priests to violate their sacred vows."
The fight in Etienne v. Ferguson was over a state demand that priests report "information" shared with them within the sacred confines of the church's "Sacrament of Confession."
A court blocked the unconstitutional law earlier this year.
"As part of its commitment to Safe Environment, the Catholic Church already requires priests to report abuse and neglect to law enforcement and other state authorities. The Church originally supported the law's broader goal of strengthening protections for minors and asked only for a narrow exemption to protect the Sacrament of Confession," Becket, working on the case, said.
"For centuries, the Catholic Church has upheld the belief that confession is a sacred encounter between a repentant sinner and God, acting through the priest, and must remain confidential so as to encourage such repentance. 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," Becket said.
Then came state officials, who wanted to punish priests, with up to 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine and civil liability, if they refused to deliver information the state demanded.
"It is a credit to the attorney general of Washington, the governor, and the archbishop and bishops that they were able to come together and find common ground under the First Amendment to protect religious liberty while seeking to eradicate the scourge of sexual abuse," said Hiram Sasser, of First Liberty Institute.
The resolution came through a stipulated motion and permanent injunction that confirmed the state plan "infringes Plaintiffs' free exercise of religion in violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as applied to the Catholic Sacrament of Confession…"
