SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
MSN [Redmond WA ]
August 1, 2025
By Erin Alberty, Axios
An Arizona appeals court has resuscitated a high-profile lawsuit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ruling unanimously that the church may have been obligated to report a man to police after he confessed to sexually abusing his children.
Why it matters: The ruling argues there are limits to Arizona’s guarantee of “clergy-penitent privilege,” reversing a lower court’s dismissal.
- “In this tragic case involving abuse perpetrated by the children’s father, the church and its clergy acted in accordance with Arizona law,” a prepared statement reads.
The intrigue: The judges also found that LDS doctrine may not actually require bishops to keep confessions confidential.
- They cited a passage in the church handbook that allows bishops to report “when disclosure is necessary to prevent life threatening harm or serious injury.”
What they’re saying: “There is a genuine issue whether it was ‘reasonable and necessary’ for [the church] to withhold reporting … within the concepts of the religion,” the ruling states.
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