Overview

• Washington’s newly signed law requires clergy to report child abuse, removing the long-standing exemption for confessions.
• The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation, questioning the law's compatibility with First Amendment protections for religious freedom.
• Catholic leaders, including Archbishop Paul Etienne and Bishop Thomas Daly, have stated they will defy the law, even at the risk of jail or excommunication.
• The Archdiocese of Seattle has reaffirmed that breaking the seal of confession will result in automatic excommunication under canon law.
• The statute, effective July 27, 2025, positions Washington among a small number of states without a confession exemption, potentially setting a national precedent.