DOJ Investigation Into Anti-Catholic Law Is Latest In Series Of Actions Defending Religious Liberty
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has stepped up its defense of religious liberty under the Trump administration.
In the past several months, the DOJ has filed statements of interest in land use cases for churches, helped launch a task force to “eliminate” anti-Christian bias and opened an investigation into an “anti-Catholic” law in Washington.
The DOJ opened an investigation Monday into a Washington law that forces Catholic priests to disclose information received in the confessional related to child abuse or neglect. The law, signed by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson on Friday, explicitly excludes “members of the clergy” from an exemption for reporting information obtained as a result of “a privileged communication.”
Bishop Thomas Daly of the Spokane Diocese said priests would remain “committed to keeping the seal of confession – even to the point of going to jail” after the law was signed.
“Washington’s new law forces priests to choose between violating their faith or breaking the law,” Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon wrote Monday on X. “That’s unconstitutional.” (Read more from “DOJ Investigation Into Anti-Catholic Law Is Latest In Series Of Actions Defending Religious Liberty” HERE)
