The state of Washington recently passed a law requiring clergy members to report child abuse to law enforcement authorities even if they learn about it through the act of confession.
It’s a law that will protect children from sex predators and prevent lifelong trauma.
So naturally, Catholic bishops are now suing to overturn it.
It comes weeks after the Republican-led Department of Justice said it would launch a “civil rights investigation” into the matter.
A quick reminder about this law: It merely added “member of the clergy” to the list of mandated reporters in the state. What makes that unique was that it specifically said clergy members would not be protected by the older law which allowed certain private communications to remain private. In other words, now, even if you learn about abuse through confession, you can’t just hide behind that shield. You still have to report the abuse to authorities.
Under the new law, all mandated reporters (including priests) will be required to “report suspicions of abuse within 48 hours.” If they don’t, the subsequent misdemeanor charge could land them a year-long prison sentence on top of a $5,000 fine.
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