{"id":2451773,"date":"2025-06-25T11:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T15:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-doj-comes-to-the-defense-of-priests-being-targeted-by-new-blue-state-law\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T11:29:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T15:29:43","slug":"trump-doj-comes-to-the-defense-of-priests-being-targeted-by-new-blue-state-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-doj-comes-to-the-defense-of-priests-being-targeted-by-new-blue-state-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump DOJ Comes to the Defense of Priests Being Targeted by New Blue-State Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-doj-comes-to-the-defense-of-priests-being-targeted-by-new-blue-state-law%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2451773&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S.Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington concerning Senate Bill 5375, which mandates priests to disclose certain information obtained during the sacrament of confession, specifically regarding child abuse. The DOJ argues that this law infringes on the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment and violates the Fourteenth Amendment&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-legal-team-files-appeal-after-obama-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-seeking-to-block-pennsylvania-from-certifying-its-results\/\" title=\"Trump Legal Team Files Appeal After Obama Judge Dismisses ...uit Seeking to Block Pennsylvania From Certifying Its Results\">equal protection clause<\/a>. They contend that the requirement forces priests to break the confidentiality seal of confession, which could lead to their excommunication from the Catholic Church. <\/p>\n<p>The law aims to compel clergy to report child abuse while exceptions exist for confessions, creating a contentious conflict between legal obligations and religious practice. The DOJ emphasizes that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >laws targeting specific religious practices<\/a> are inappropriate and highlights the importance of protecting the sanctity of confession. Critics of the law warn it may deter individuals from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-new-video-alec-baldwin-says-hes-seeking-spiritual-guidance\/\" title=\"In New Video, Alec Baldwin Says He\u2019s Seeking Spiritual Guidance\">seeking spiritual guidance<\/a> and confessing their sins, thus undermining religious freedoms and practices. The federal case is currently progressing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, while the Archdiocese of Seattle reiterates its commitment to child protection without compromising the sanctity of confession.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice is suing the state of Washington over a law that compels priests to reveal certain information they learn during the holy sacrament of confession.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ put out a statement Monday that read: &ldquo;The Justice Department announced today that it filed legal action for a complaint in intervention against the State of Washington over its a new state law, Senate Bill 5375, which violates the free exercise of religion for all Catholics, and requires Catholic priests to violate the confidentiality seal of Confession.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Senate Bill 5375 requires Catholic priests to violate their vows to uphold the confidentiality seal that accompanies the sacred rite of Confession, subjecting them to immediate excommunication from the Catholic Church,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-sues-washington-state-over-its-new-anti-catholic-law-senate-bill-5375\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement continued<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ argued the measure violates the First Amendment&rsquo;s free exercise of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/texas-delivers-spectacular-blow-woke-public-school-teachers-slowly-bringing-god-back-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">religion,<\/a> as well as the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Laws that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-sues-washington-state-over-new-law-requiring-catholic-clergy-to-report-suspected-abuse\/\" title=\"DOJ sues Washington ... over new ... requiring Catholic clergy to report suspected abuse\">explicitly target religious practices<\/a> such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,&rdquo; Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The law makes it mandatory for clergy to report instances of child abuse and neglect, even when that information is disclosed during the privileged sacrament of Reconciliation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/washington\/article_c7da9641-0494-40ff-9414-5c8fa589547c.html?utm_source=washington.thecentersquare.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=today-s-top-washington-state-headlines-current_date_full&amp;_bhlid=8e6f4c167c7cfe516c880be06e60afb48a82f2c9?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=offthepress&amp;utm_campaign=home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to<\/a> The Center Square.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/media\/1404131\/dl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">case<\/a> is currently pending before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Archdiocese of Seattle remains committed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/twitter-tries-to-dismiss-another-child-porn-case-citing-section-230-even-if-allegations-true-were-not-liable\/\" title=\"Twitter Tries To Dismiss Another Child Porn Case Citing Section 230: Even If Allegations \u2018True,\u2019 We\u2019re Not \u2018Liable\u2019\">reporting child sexual abuse<\/a>, working with victim survivors towards healing, and protecting all minors and vulnerable people,&rdquo; Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/archseattle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Archbishop-on-On-Clergy-Reporting-min.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a> last month, just two days after Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson signed SB 5375 into law. &ldquo;Our policies already require priests to be mandatory reporters, but not if this information is obtained during confession.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This is a difficult matter, but the law would create a dangerous precedent and lead to a slippery slope.<\/p>\n<p>Confession, or Reconciliation, is a return to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/western-journal-founder-god-bible-key-overcoming-confusion-created-mainstream-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">God<\/a>. It is meant to cleanse your soul. Yet your sins don&rsquo;t magically disappear without some form of penance.<\/p>\n<p>The priest must believe you have a penitent heart before offering absolution, as he is standing in for Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<p>This penance can include deep prayer, reflection, works of mercy, and good deeds. If you&rsquo;ve done something truly criminal and terrible, however, the priest will often encourage you to come forward and tell the authorities the truth.<\/p>\n<p>If the act is abhorrent, but not illegal, a priest is still likely to tell the person to make things right with whomever they&rsquo;ve harmed. Only then can they receive God&rsquo;s forgiveness and grace.<\/p>\n<p>What&rsquo;s even more troubling is the chilling effect such a law has on individuals who haven&rsquo;t abused children, but who want to have their conscience cleared.<\/p>\n<p>They will always have to look over their shoulder, wondering whether their indiscretions will be made public, or whether their priest will be pressured by the state to use their sins against them.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s ironic that such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/school-district-defies-washington-state-votes-ban-males-girls-sports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">liberal leaning<\/a> lawmakers passed this sort of law while also championing the separation of church and state.<\/p>\n<p>The seal of confession is absolute, because it takes courage to walk into a church and lay yourself bare before God almighty.<\/p>\n<p>Any discouragement of that could result in criminals <em>not<\/em> confessing, and thereby not receiving counsel to turn themselves in to the police.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s also nice to see the DOJ defending Christians for a change, rather than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/bidens-doj-threatening-lock-peaceful-pro-life-protesters-prison-11-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">persecuting them<\/a> to the fullest extent of the law, as President Joe Biden&rsquo;s administration did <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pardoned-pro-life-protester-reunites-husband-young-daughter-incredible-scene-thank-jesus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on a regular basis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On its face, it might seem clear-cut. But when it comes to matters of faith, we must err on the side of religion and prevent government interference, lest we wake up one day and find state-sponsored churches on every corner.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Department of Justice is taking legal action against Washington state regarding a law that requires priests to disclose specific information obtained during confession. In a statement released on Monday, the DOJ said, &#8220;Today, the Justice Department filed a complaint against Washington over Senate Bill 5375, which infringes on the free exercise of religion for Catholics and forces priests to breach the confidentiality of Confession.&#8221; The DOJ contends that this law violates both the First Amendment&#8217;s protection of religious freedom and the Fourteenth Amendment&#8217;s equal protection clause. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon emphasized that laws targeting religious practices like Confession have no place in society. The law mandates clergy to report child abuse and neglect cases disclosed during confession, as reported by The Center Square. This case is currently before the U.S. District Court for Western Washington. Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne stated last month that while they are committed to reporting child sexual abuse, their policies do not require reporting if such information is revealed during confession. This situation raises concerns about potential negative consequences for individuals seeking forgiveness who may fear their confessions could be exposed due to state pressure on clergy. It&#8217;s ironic that lawmakers advocating for church-state separation would support such legislation; undermining confession could deter individuals from seeking guidance or turning themselves in for wrongdoing. Ultimately, it&#8217;s crucial to prioritize religious freedom and prevent government interference in matters of faith<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2451774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Lawsuit-over-confession.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[7076,57878,3634],"class_list":["post-2451773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-doj","tag-priests-2","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Lawsuit-over-confession.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2451773"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2451781,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451773\/revisions\/2451781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2451774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2451773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2451773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2451773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}