WA State Attorney General Settles Suit Filed By Catholic Clergy

When the State Legislature was discussing Senate Bill 5375, they knew they would be in for a fight.  It's why before the bill was passed, they had originally taken out the mandate on Catholic priests having to report abuse admissions made in the Confessional.  The majority party decided to put that provision back in before they passed the bill, setting the stage for yet another lawsuit.

The legislature once again sought to compromise a non-negotiable tenent of a particular faith in violation of the First Amendment's protection of religion.  In this case it is vow of secrecy that exists inside the Catholic confessional.  If the "Seal of the Confessional" is broken, a priest can be excommunicated from the Church.

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SB 5375 threatened Catholic priests with 364 days in jail and a fine of $5,000 plus the threat of civil liability if they broke the law, but in turn, forcing the priest to break  the Seal of the Confessional.  We told you back in June about the lawsuit filed by the bishops of the two Diocese and one Archdiocese in opposition of the law.

The Department of Justice also got involved because of the Constitutional violation in the law.  A federal judge in the U.S. District Court Western District of Washington blocked the law from taking effect on July 18th, nine days before it was set to become law.  It now looks like the State Attorney General's Office is going to back down altogether.

What Did They Agree Upon In The Settlement

Both the AG and the coalition of Catholic bishops that filed the lawsuit released statements that a settlement has been reached.  The State agreed to withdraw the provision the would require priests to break the "Seal of the Confessional", while also providing that same protection to ministers of other faiths that have a similar tenent.

Catholic priests had already been reporting any revelations of abuse to authorities as long as they came outside of the confessional.  The Church even supported the law until the "Seal of the Confessional" was threatened, especially when some other professions, like attorneys, were not required to do break their promises of confidentiality.

The last thing that needs to happen before the revised law can take effect is for the court to approve the agreement between both parties.