As state lawmakers look to advance legislation that would require clergy to report child abuse or neglect, the Catholic Church’s lobbying arm in Washington has come out in support of the bills — but only if they provide a loophole for confessions. 

Two bills in the state Legislature — House Bill 1098 and Senate Bill 5280 — would add clergy to the list of mandatory reporters of abuse or neglect. Currently, Washington is one of a handful of states not to list clergy as such. 

But debate has begun to swirl over whether Washington should keep a clergy-penitent privilege, which allows clergy to withhold information revealed during confession or another privileged conversation. Child advocates argue it provides a gaping loophole allowing churches to hide sexual abuse by loosely defining certain communications as protected. 

Mario Villanueva, the executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, the public…