Washington State permanently withdrew the law requiring clergy to violate the sacred “seal of confession” by reporting sexual abuse that was disclosed in a confession booth, according to a court order ...

Washington State's bill to tackle sexual abuse has another legal problem when it comes to discerning between what speech is confidential and what is not, according to contract law professor Mark ...

The Catholic Church and federal government reacted vehemently to new legislation in Washington state that requires priests to report child abuse or neglect to law enforcement after learning about the ...

Confession, the Catholic and Orthodox practice of listing one’s sins in the presence of a priest who then offers absolution and is sworn to secrecy under pain of eternal damnation, has long been a ...

Washington state officials have agreed to a permanent court order that prevents the enforcement of a controversial law provision which sought to criminalize Orthodox Christian priests for upholding ...

The state of Washington reached an agreement with Catholic officials this week not to require priests to report information that they learn in sacramental confession about suspected child abuse or ...

While clergy are often mandatory reporters outside of the confessional, long-standing legal precedent in the U.S. recognizes the religious freedom of confessors and penitents to be exempt from those ...