by Jorge Gomez • 3 minutes
In a major victory for religious freedom, the Court entered an agreed order that the State of Washington will not force Catholic priests to violate the seal of confession in order to comply with a law requiring them to report suspected child abuse.
In 2025, Washington passed a law requiring clergy to report suspected abuse or neglect, even when the information is learned during confession. Despite its efforts to protect minors from “abuse and harm,” the law does not extend to others who might hear—or are even more likely to hear—about the same information, like lawyers or family members.
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.
The Church originally supported the law’s broader goal of strengthening protections for minors and asked only for a narrow exemption to protect this central tenet.
Washington’s law, which was slated to take effect on July 27, threatened to impose penalties of up to 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and potential civil liability on priests who uphold the seal of confession.
Last week, state officials and Catholic clergy reached a settlement and agreed order that ensures the state does not force Catholic priests to violate the confessional seal.
The law firm WilmerHale—alongside First Liberty and our friends at Becket as co-counsel—filed a lawsuit earlier this year on behalf of several priests.
“Preventing abuse and upholding the sacred seal of confession are not mutually exclusive—we can and must do both,” said Jean Hill, Executive Director 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.”
A priest has an obligation to keep everything he hears during the confession completely confidential. The seal is so vital to the Catholic faith that any priest who violates it faces automatic excommunication.
The Catholic Church in Washington has spent years strengthening its approach to protecting minors and vulnerable adults through its Safe Environment programs, background checks and reporting policies. Across the Archdiocese of Seattle and the Dioceses of Spokane and Yakima, priests—and all Church personnel—are already required to report suspected abuse to law enforcement or child protection agencies.
“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, Executive General Counsel for First Liberty. “I hope we can all learn from their noble examples.”
“Washington was wise to walk away from this draconian law and allow Catholic clergy to continue ministering to the faithful,” said Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket. “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.”
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