Washington State Pauses Controversial Law Forcing Orthodox Priests To Break Confessional Seal
Washington State agreed to halt enforcement against the Orthodox churches after another court granted a preliminary injunction to Catholic churches and priests
Washington State agreed on Thursday not to enforce its mandatory reporter law against several Orthodox churches that challenged the law. The law would force priests to report child sex abuse revealed in the confessional.
The Orthodox churches sued Washington State over the law on June 16, as Legal Insurrection reported. The churches argued Washington State’s law burdened their ability to practice their religion since it would compel priests to violate the confessional seal to report child sex abuse.
Legal Insurrection also reported on a May 29 lawsuit by several Catholic bishops and priests in Washington State challenging the same law. The Catholic plaintiffs secured a preliminary injunction on July 18 after a different judge determined they “are likely to succeed on the merits of their Free Exercise Clause challenge.”
The preliminary injunction issued on Friday will “remain in effect until final judgment is entered.” In return, the plaintiff churches agreed to a stay of their lawsuit until the other lawsuit challenging the law is concluded.
The preliminary injunction:
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Comments
The left desperately wants to force priests to be snitches, if only to destroy a sacrament.
Turns out that communists don’t actually like Christians all that much, any religion really,, although they’re somewhat indifferent to Islamic terrorists.
The left has always been hostile to religion.
“Father, I helped an old lady across the street, I found a home for a stray cat I found starving in an alley,” I begin in one such typical appearance. in the shadowy arbor, at the age of eleven or twelve. “I did my homework without being told, and I returned a dime I found in the schoolyard to a boy I knew it belonged to. Instead of keeping it.” That was the week that was.
There was a rustle beyond the latticework, as of the cloth getting a firm grip on itself. At last the whispered response: “And now you are puffed up about these things. Spiritually vain.”
“I suppose, I put part of the dough I made at the parish bowling alley in the poor box, and let’s see, what else? I don’t have pimples from impure thoughts, even though I’m old enough to be thinking about girls. My complexion is clear. All that is pretty well under control, Father. Things are in pretty good shape. In fact apple-pie order.”
Another rustle in the ecclesiastical half of the arbor, and this time the answer coming quickly and sharply.
“If you wish to confess to the sin of pride, then do so without the commercial if you please. Because I’m busy and there are others waiting. Two Hail Marys.”
Vale of Laughter, Peter de Vries
No, this law does NOT force priests to break the confessional seal. It forces priests to be imprisoned for refusing to violate the seal. The seal is absolute, inviolate and subject to no exceptions whatsoever, now or in the future. The secrecy must be maintained in word, manner, action and inaction. Any priest who would violate it is automatically excommunicated and will suffer the fires of hell for all eternity.
Either way, I think it’s patently unconstitutional.
This is not just a threat to priests. The penitent, who has a right to expect the confessional to be confidential, may avoid seeking absolution for his sins (his right in the practice of his religion) for fear of having his “sins” reported as crimes by his priest. The law not only affects the priests, it will tend to “chill” the right of the believer to access one of his church’s sacraments.
You are correct. I only take exception to the wording of the headline. It is a grave insult to the priesthood. Priests would no sooner follow this law than spit on the cross.
Requiring that priests –
Isn’t priest supposed to advise them they won’t receive full forgiveness unless they turn themselves into law enforcement, and accept punishment and do restitution?
Yes, confession and repentance are needed – and no priest worth the title would grant absolution without requiring the penitent to go to the police and do whatever is necessary make things right.
‘The law would force priests to report child sex abuse revealed in the confessional.’
Public school teacher sexual abuse of children in that target rich environment for those pink haired, rainbow flag sickos is a FAR BIGGER EVIL.
Search engine it. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
I’m much more aggressive about a long drop from a short rope for taxpayer subsidized sickos than catholic priests – who I can choose not to donate my $$.
Don’t believe for one second that the state of Washington is concerned about sexual abuse of children. If they were, they would not push “transitioning” of minors or drag queens reading to kids so hard. Nor would they mount a do-or-die defense of illegals who commit sex crimes.
This is all about forcing the Church to bend the knee to Communism. You WILL worship Karl Marx, the one true god.
You give them too much credit for having an intellectual adherence to a coherent philosophy. They are merely narcissistic, preening drama queens who reflexively abhor all tradition and hide behind cheap slogans. In short, they are total scum.
Washington is in a world of hurt you guys. They have the most kangaroo leftist court system of any place in the country. Go research the 2A fight for background.
Washington matters because as leftists flee California, their destinations are Wa and Or due to pro-abortion. Wa is especially popular because the job market is better. This means in the 2030 census a couple of Ca’s electoral votes and reps MAY end up in Wa.
They pass the most unconstitional of laws which will take decades to fight. They passed the largest tax increases of any state this past year. The trans crazy is dialed up to 11 there. Also the tech economy makes it a contender for influence and that influence is owned by hard core leftists. Think Jayapal level of evil… they are all that evil.
Ca conservatives are fleeting to red or purple states. The leftists are mainly going to Or, Wa, Az, and Houston.
This matters because as this law points out, they have a government which is in full hate/battle mode with anyone to the right of Stalin. They are going after small communities with a level of spite that rivals anything happening in the country right now.
It’s bad. REALLY REALLY BAD.