❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is launching legal action against Washington State for trying to force Catholic priests to violate the Seal of the Sacrament of Confession.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Washington State, Governor Bob Ferguson (D), the Roman Catholic Church, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The DOJ announced the lawsuit on June 25.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society.” – Harmeet K. Dhillon.
🎯IMPACT: The legal challenge could stop more states from attempting to force priests to violate the sacrament in the future by setting a legal precedent.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched legal action against the State of Washington for trying to force Roman Catholic priests to break the Seal of Confession, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment and religious freedom. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division explained that the bill forces Catholic priests to face criminal consequences for upholding their faith.
“Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,” Dhillon said.
Washington’s Senate Bill 5375 demands that Catholic priests violate the Seal of Confession if a confession pertains to child abuse or neglect. Importantly, Catholic priests are bound to the Seal of Confession and face excommunication and possible removal from the priesthood for breaking the seal. Nevertheless, those who refuse to violate the seal in Washington State could face prison time.
Democrat Governor Bob Ferguson, supposedly a Catholic himself, claimed he was “very familiar” with the sacrament when he signed the law last month. However, local Spokane Bishop Thomas Daly was defiant, saying no priest will break the Seal of Confession regardless of the law.
Assistant Attorney General Dhillon argued, “Where does it stop? Can we force everyone to report everything? That becomes compelled speech, which is unconstitutional. This country was built on protecting religious expression, not dismantling it.”
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