Washington State's Seal of Confession Under Fire: What You Need to Know

The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into Washington State’s Senate Bill 5375, signed into law on May 2, 2025, which mandates clergy to report child abuse or neglect, even if disclosed during the sacred sacrament of confession. This unprecedented law, labeled “anti-Catholic” by critics, threatens Catholic priests with up to one year in jail and $5,000 in fines for upholding the inviolable seal of confession—a core tenet of the faith that, if broken, results in automatic excommunication.