5/7/25 WISDOM, WARNINGS & WINS – Legal Dilemma

Resources 5/7/25 WISDOM, WARNINGS & WINS – Legal Dilemma
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Faith Based Security NetworkFaith Based Security Network

May 7, 2025

Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson recently signed SB5375 into law. SB5375 revokes the Clergy / Penitent Privilege in matters involving child abuse or neglect.

Previously, Washington state law had listed many entities who were required to “report child abuse or child neglect or cause a report to be made” to proper law enforcement or legal family agency. But “members of the clergy” were exempt. SB5375 removed that exemption.

The Catholic Church has proclaimed in protest their priests, “may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church.”

I’m no fan of typical Bob Ferguson policies. And I understand over-reach of government. This however, is a dilemma for me. With any law, there will be abuses of it. But the big problem in this topic is a history of offenders skating on child abuse and neglect, and increasing their victim count, while the church (and I mean American Churches of all denominations) sat on it’s hands (or worse – actively protected those known to be repeat offenders).

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