OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington was one of five states to not list clergy members as mandatory reporters of child abuse or neglect, but Gov. Bob Ferguson (D-WA) changed that Friday after signing Senate Bill 5375 into law.
The law requires clergy members to report any information regarding child abuse to law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. It does not offer exceptions to clergy learning this information through the sacrament of confession – a practice in the Catholic Church where members voluntarily tell their sins to a priest for forgiveness and guidance to better themselves.
Spokane Bishop Thomas Daly opposed the law back in February when it was introduced as a bill, writing in part:…