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The Catholic bishops of Washington are resisting new laws signed by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, who say they violate the seal of confession.
Thomas Darry, Bishop of Spokane, Washington, issued a statement in response to the law that he and his priests “promised to maintain the seal of confession.”
The new law, signed last week by Catholic Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, added “cleric members” to the list of experts who need to report information related to child abuse and neglect to law enforcement. The law is scheduled to come into effect on July 26th.
The central doctrine of the Catholic sacrament of confession is that the priest is bound by a secret absolute seal. This is an obligation to require that you keep what you learn in your confession a secret. Violating this doctrine results in what is called “excommunication,” according to Catholic teachings.
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The Catholic bishops of Washington are resisting new laws signed by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, who say they violate the seal of confession. (Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Images and Istock)
Daly said his parish had a zero-tolerance policy on child sexual abuse and that the church would “do everything in our power to keep your child safe,” but he said, “The sacrament of penance is sacred and will continue to do that to Spokane’s parish.”
Archbishop of Seattle Paul Etienne framed the question as a question of whether a clergyman “can answer God or the nation.”
He quoted a Bible passage that reads, “We must obey God, not man.”
“This is our attitude now facing this new law. Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession, or they will be excommunicated from the church,” Etienne said.
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Etienne said the law would be reduced to the centre of the First Amendment ban on states that establish or prohibit the free exercise of religion.
“When the state asserted the right to determine the religious practices gained within this sanctum and enforce privileged communication – where the lines drawn between the church and the state lie, what else does the state demand the right to know?
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division began an investigation into the law into possible violations of First Amendment religious protection.
According to a department statement, the new law relies on “cleric members” as the sole “supervisors” that do not rely on applicable legal privileges, including religious confessions, as “clerics” as “clerics” as “clerics” as defences for forced reporting, according to the department’s statement. ”
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Archbishop Paul Etienne is Seattle’s leading Catholic clergyman. (Reuters/Chris Helglen)
“The law appears to elect clergy because it has no right to assert applicable privileges compared to other reporting experts,” said Hermet Dillon, Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
“We take this issue very seriously and look forward to working with the Washington State investigation,” Dillon said.
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Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima, Washington, posted on Facebook that he was grateful for the Department of Justice’s investigation, saying that no unanswered attempts by the bishop to meet with the governor about the law.
“I think many people may object, but it is similar to the privileges of lawyer clients, and the sign of confession allows repentance to grasp moral accountability and negligence,” Tyson said. “We want to pray that the hearts of criminals will be led by God’s mercy and the guidance of skilled clergy, leading to an encounter that transcends the seal of sacrament with law enforcement.”
Ferguson did not respond to a request for comment on Fox News Digital.
Landon Mion of Fox News Digital contributed to this article.
Peter Pinedo is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
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