CNA Newsroom, Washington State | July 5, 2025 — Bishop Robert Barron has called on a federal court to block a controversial Washington state law that would compel Catholic priests to break the seal of confession, labeling the measure as “manifestly” disrespectful of one of the Church’s most sacred and ancient practices.
Bishop Barron, who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and serves on the White House Religious Liberty Commission, made the appeal in an amicus brief filed July 4 in the U.S. District Court for Washington State. His intervention supports a lawsuit filed in May by the Catholic bishops of Washington challenging the state’s newly enacted mandatory reporting law.
The law mandates that clergy report suspected child abuse—even if learned during the sacrament of confession—or face criminal penalties including jail time and fines. While intended to bolster child protection measures, the law has sparked widespread concern among religious liberty advocates who argue it specifically targets Catholic doctrine.
“Few religious practices are more misunderstood than the sacred seal of Confession in the Catholic Church,” Bishop Barron wrote in his legal brief.
He emphasized that during confession, penitents are not merely speaking to a priest but to God himself. To require a priest to violate that seal, he argued, is to obstruct a vital path to forgiveness and grace.
“If a penitent is aware the priest might (let alone must) share with others what was given in the most sacred confidence,” Barron noted, “he or she would be reluctant indeed to ever approach Confession.”
The bishop contended that the state’s legislation is fundamentally flawed, in part because it intentionally excludes clergy from protections typically afforded to privileged communications. The brief also stated that the law is incompatible with longstanding legal precedent regarding religious freedom and neutrality.
National and Interfaith Backlash
Bishop Barron’s stance joins a growing chorus of opposition. The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of Orthodox Christian churches have also initiated legal actions against the state, citing violations of First Amendment rights.
Last month, the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, representing over 500 priests and deacons across the U.S., Australia, and the UK, issued a firm statement defending the inviolability of the confessional seal. The group asserted that child protection and religious liberty are not mutually exclusive.
“Protection of minors,” the statement read, “can be lawfully and morally done without violating religious liberty.”
Legal Timeline and Outlook
The Washington law is scheduled to take effect on July 27, 2025. A hearing on the lawsuit brought by the Catholic bishops is set for July 14, during which the court will consider motions for an injunction to prevent the law’s enforcement.
Bishop Barron urged the court to uphold religious liberty by issuing an injunction, warning that allowing the law to stand could deter Catholics from accessing one of the most essential sacraments of the faith.
Credit: Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency (CNA)
For updates and full court documents, visit CatholicNewsAgency.com or the Diocese of Winona-Rochester official site.
