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Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Mon May 05, 2025 9:28 pm
by Doom
Under the law, proposed by the Attorney General, who also wants a law forcing churches to perform gay marriages, priests would be required to tell the police if someone confesses sexual abuse during confession, something which I have to assume rarely, if ever happens, and they will go to jail if they refuse.

The law is unenforceable because there is no way the state could know what someone has confessed to be in a position to be able to compel a priest to talk.

But that isn't the point, the point is to make it clear to the Church that the state is supreme and that the Church is to bend the knee to the state.

The Department of Justice is already investigating, and how lucky we are that we don't have a Democratic administration right now, because whether it was Biden or Harris, neither of them would have a problem with this law. We are talking about people who are so stubborn they have spent the last 10 years trying to force nuns to provide contraception.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Mon May 05, 2025 11:47 pm
by zeno
Horrible.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 10:42 am
by Riverboat
Your post impelled me to look into this matter. Sure enough - not that I doubted you - "the new legislation was approved by a vote of 64-31 in the House and 28-20 in the Senate. It goes into effect in July."

It seems that things really came to a head during Coronamania, not to mention the overturning of Roe v Wade. At the very least, we shall see what kind of mettle our clerics are made of in our northwest corner.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 12:54 pm
by Doom
The bishops have already renounced the law and said they will not comply and that any priest who does comply will be excommunicated

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 3:57 pm
by Obi-Wan Kenobi
Can. 1388 §1 A confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal, incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; he who does so only indirectly is to be punished according to the gravity of the offence.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 8:13 pm
by Tired
I have no problem nor qualms about saying the Washington governor is an idiot. He knows this isn't anything that can survive a court challenge. gaslightiing at its finest.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 10:39 pm
by Obi-Wan Kenobi
He's Catholic.

Also, note that a majority of both houses voted in favor. More grandstanding.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Wed May 07, 2025 6:58 am
by Doom
Obi-Wan Kenobi wrote: Tue May 06, 2025 10:39 pm He's Catholic.

Also, note that a majority of both houses voted in favor. More grandstanding.
But the real culprit is the Attorney General an angry former Catholic with an axe to grind. She spen 4 years pushing for this law, she has also been pushing a law to force churches to perform gay marriages.

They know this is unconstitutional, unenforceable and will be struck down. They don’t care, this is about throwing down the gauntlet and making it clear who is in control.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Wed May 07, 2025 9:31 am
by Riverboat
Doom wrote: Wed May 07, 2025 6:58 am But the real culprit is the Attorney General an angry former Catholic [woman] with an axe to grind.
My web search yields Nick Brown. Are you thinking of Christine Gregoire?

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Wed May 07, 2025 12:07 pm
by BobCatholic
Interesting how SOCAS only applies one way :)

Double standard = corruption.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Wed May 07, 2025 4:30 pm
by Doom
Riverboat wrote: Wed May 07, 2025 9:31 am
Doom wrote: Wed May 07, 2025 6:58 am But the real culprit is the Attorney General an angry former Catholic [woman] with an axe to grind.
My web search yields Nick Brown. Are you thinking of Christine Gregoire?
Frame

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Thu May 08, 2025 7:28 am
by peregrinator
Doom wrote: Wed May 07, 2025 6:58 am
Obi-Wan Kenobi wrote: Tue May 06, 2025 10:39 pm He's Catholic.

Also, note that a majority of both houses voted in favor. More grandstanding.
But the real culprit is the Attorney General an angry former Catholic with an axe to grind. She spen 4 years pushing for this law, she has also been pushing a law to force churches to perform gay marriages.

They know this is unconstitutional, unenforceable and will be struck down. They don’t care, this is about throwing down the gauntlet and making it clear who is in control.
It's very obviously unconstitutional since the law only applies to privileged communications with clergy (and not with lawyers or therapists). I don't think it's unenforceable though.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Thu May 08, 2025 10:13 am
by Riverboat
Doom wrote: Wed May 07, 2025 4:30 pm Frame
Frame? Okay, now all I'm getting is . . . frames.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Thu May 08, 2025 4:08 pm
by Doom
Her name is Noel Frame, she is a former Catholic who says she left the Church because she was outraged when she learned about the seal of the confessional, and has spent the last 4 years aggressively pushing for a law that would outlaw secrecy in confession, the other law she had advocated would remove the tax exempt status of any Church that refuses to perform gay weddings.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Thu May 08, 2025 7:17 pm
by Riverboat
Doom wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 4:08 pm "[S]he was outraged when she learned about the seal of the confessional. . . "
Whoo-wee! Wait'll she finds out wimmen aren't allowed to be priests, either.

Re: Washington State Passes Law Against the Seal of the Confessional

Posted: Thu May 08, 2025 7:42 pm
by Doom
Don't give her more ideas