May 17-18, 2025
Dear parishioners,
By now, you have likely watched or read the news that, a few weeks ago, the State of Washington passed a law (SB5375) which requires priests to report child abuse, even when this is confessed in the sacrament of Reconciliation. To say the least, this bill- signed into law by Governor Ferguson- is very aggressive, and intentionally targeting the Catholic Church. Now, even though there is no realistic way to enforce this law, the principle of the matter is that the State went well beyond its proper authority by trying to coerce priests to break the seal of confession.
Archbishop Etienne, of the Archdiocese of Seattle, in his open letter penned in response to the passing of SB5375, reminds the public that Catholic priests are indeed considered mandatory reporters of abuse of minors and all vulnerable people. However, Church law never permits a priest to reveal anything that he heard in the sacrament of Reconciliation. He states, “While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse, priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation.” He also reminds everyone how sacred and absolute the seal of confession is, and how grave an offense it is for priests to break this seal. He even provides the canons themselves from the Code of Canon Law:
Canon 983: The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore, it is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason.
Canon 1386: A confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs a latae sententiae [automatic] excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; he who does so only indirectly is to be punished according to the gravity of the offence.
As you might expect, when Archbishop Etienne and his brother bishops insisted that priests are not permitted to comply with SB5375 with regard to information received during confession, many media outlets misconstrued the whole affair. Many of them tried to paint the picture that the Church is trying to hide cases of abuse, by threatening priests with excommunication. However, as is clear from the information above, this media spin is not true at all! The Church has always held that the seal of confession is so sacred and absolute, that any priest who directly violates it should be punished severely, matching the gravity of his own sin.
So, I encourage everyone to read/listen with discernment when you find the discussion of SB5375 in the news. Hopefully, the information above provides a starting point if anyone accosts you with misinformation about how they might claim the Church is making a bad decision on this issue. The simple truth is that it is not a matter of making a decision, but one of upholding what the Church has always held to be true. Namely, the sacredness of the sacrament imposes an obligation on the priest; in no way may he manifest the conscience of someone who approaches him to be absolved of his sins.
Of course, since I am writing on this topic, I would like to echo Archbishop Etienne’s words above. Please rest assured that our diocese and our parish remain committed to reporting the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. If you have any questions, or would like to report abuse, you can notify the parish office, or submit a report to the Diocese of Toledo at https://toledodiocese.org/child-protection.
Blessings,
Fr. Ammanniti
