Priests are required to report child abuse or neglect to Washington state law enforcement after learning about the crime through confessions.

The measure, signed by the governor, could lead to clergy being excommunicated, fined and incarcerated.

A new state law requires priests to report suspected child abuse, even if they hear the information in confessional.

I am a "Catholic," with air quotes. If I can still be counted as ... When I say I haven't been to confession in ages, it's doubly so. I hadn't confessed my sins since middle school, but when ...

Confession, the Catholic and Orthodox practice of listing one’s sins in the presence of a priest who then offers absolution and is sworn to secrecy under pain of eternal damnation, has long been ...

The new law does not make room for an exemption if knowledge of the suspected abuse comes to light through the Catholic sacrament of confession. “While we remain committed to protecting minors ...