Officials in Washington state have agreed to back off a controversial effort to force priests there to violate the seal of confession as part of a mandatory abuse reporting law. A motion filed in ...

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Washington has rolled back its attempt to require priests to inform authorities about child abuse in all instances. Officials reached an agreement with the Catholic church ...

For months, a Washington state bill generated controversy over two critical interests: protecting children from abuse and protecting the freedom of religion. Signed by the governor in May 2025, SB ...

SEATTLE — Washington state has dropped its efforts to require clergy to report child abuse or neglect when the information is revealed during the rite of confession, but left other provisions intact, ...

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The State of Washington reached an agreement with Catholic priests and the Department of Justice to allow Catholic priests to maintain secrecy while performing the Sacrament of ...

OLYMPIA Wash. (KPTV) - The state of Washington, clergy members and the U.S. Department of Justice have reached an agreement after the DOJ and clergy sued over a new state law making priests and ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A judge in a robe holds a gavel over a desk in a courtroom. Photo: Shopify Partners / Burst (The Center Square) – The Washington ...

In May, the state Legislature passed a bill requiring clergy to report child abuse, bringing Washington in line with most of the rest of the country after previous efforts to hold church abuse ...

(The Conversation) — Two groups of clergy challenged a Washington state law meant to help fight child abuse – but which could have required clergy to break the seal of confession. (The Conversation) — ...