Search Results for: Etienne

[ Click here to see an image of the letter as it appears on the Seattle archdiocese’s website.]

July 11, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

With the upcoming attorney general hearing, I feel an urgent need to address the accusations that the Archdiocese of Seattle is “not cooperating” with Attorney General Bob Ferguson regarding his subpoena, despite our efforts to be transparent and collaborative.

But first, I want to share a few facts about clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Seattle:

• Yes, we had clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Seattle. We have been proactively addressing it in a number of ways for more than 40 years. We take sexual abuse by Church personnel very seriously and we remain committed to preventing it, reporting it, supporting victim survivors and their families, improving transparency and finding paths towards healing.

• Yes, even priests who were acknowledged abusers…

Archbishop Etienne argues in court brief that the state has no right to investigate sexual abuse or financial mismanagement  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 1, 2024

Earlier this afternoon, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle submitted his opposition to Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s petition to compel the archdiocese to cooperate with the AGO’s subpoenas demanding abuse-related documents from Washington State’s three Catholic dioceses.

The AGO filed subpoenas on the basis of the Charitable Trust Act (CTA), which gives the Washington State Attorney General the authority to “facilitate public supervision” of public charitable trusts…and to clarify and implement the powers and duties of the attorney general.” Ferguson argues that criminal activity is not a protected activity under the CTA.

Archbishop Etienne argues that Attorney General Ferguson has no authority to investigate any part of the functioning of the Catholic Church – even when their patterns and practices include concealing and enabling sexual…

Officials with the Catholic Diocese of Evansville say Father Bernie Etienne has been placed on administrative leave while they investigate an allegation of sexual misconduct.

According to a press release, the incident allegedly happened more than 20 years ago and civil authorities and the Diocesan Review board have been notified.

Officials say Etienne strongly denies the claim.

Mike McDonnell is the Communications Manager of SNAP, which is the ”Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.”

His organization specializes in researching and understanding abuse at the hands of clergy members.

They also understand the process that takes place after an initial accusation.

“The investigation itself is part of a canonical process,” says McDonnell, “So, it’s an internal investigation within the Diocese.”

The investigation is similar to that of a regular police investigation, with a few key differences.

They still have an investigator go out and collect information and talk to people.

…

The Diocese of Evansville has received an allegation of sexual misconduct against Father Bernie Etienne, a priest of the diocese, which is alleged to have occurred more than 20 years ago.

Civil authorities and the Diocesan Review Board have been notified.

Father Bernie strongly denies the claim and, as with all accused, he is accorded the presumption of innocence during the investigation of this allegation.

In accord with Church norms, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, and in accord with diocesan policies, Father Bernie is on administrative leave and is not able to perform public ministry while the investigation proceeds. Father Alex Zenthoefer has been appointed temporary administrator of Holy Rosary Parish.

Father Bernie has served in the following parishes: St. Joseph, Jasper; St. Joseph, Princeton; Blessed Sacrament, Oakland City; Holy Rosary, Evansville; and Nativity, Evansville. He also served as…

“Several people have contacted the diocese of Lyon, the diocese of Grenoble-Vienne as well as the diocese of Saint-Etienne to reveal that they or their relatives had been sexually assaulted by Father Louis Ribes, who died in 1994. _We have gained certainty_, last October, the veracity of the facts“.

This is how it begins a joint statement from the three dioceses. A press release published as discreetly as possible on the evening of Thursday, January 13.

For his part, the Bishop of Saint-Étienne explains that he “learned recently that people have been assaulted in the diocese, Fr Ribes being from Grammond, where he returned regularly“. Sylvain Bataille expresses his “deep compassion and [sa] desolation to discover again that a priest could have committed these heinous acts“. Louis Ribes ended his career in Vienne, in Isère and more precisely in the district of Estressin.

The children posed naked for the Picasso of…

WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic News Service

Apr 29, 2019

By Kevin Birnbaum

Pope Francis has named Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Anchorage to be coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle, meaning he will assist and could succeed Archbishop James P. Sartain in leading the archdiocese.

Etienne, who will celebrate his 60th birthday June 15, has been in Anchorage since October 2016.

Sartain, who will turn 67 June 6, has led the Seattle Archdiocese since 2010.

Etienne was preparing for Holy Week on the morning of Saturday, April 13, when he got a call from Archbishop Christophe Pierre. the apostolic nuncio to the United States, saying Pope Francis had appointed him coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle.

“To say I was caught off guard would be an understatement,” Etienne told Northwest Catholic, magazine for the Seattle Archdiocese. “You just never expect these phone calls.”

Nevertheless, he said, “My answer…

[Former priest sentenced to six months for sexual assault in Saint-Etienne]

FRANCE
Le Monde

December 21, 2019

L’octogénaire a abusé de jeunes garçons pendant des années lors de camps de vacances d’été qu’il organisait en Savoie.

Un ancien prêtre de 85 ans a été condamné, vendredi 21 décembre, par le tribunal correctionnel de Saint-Etienne à dix-huit mois de prison, dont six mois ferme, pour des agressions sexuelles sur un mineur dans les années 1990.

BALTIMORE (MD)
National Catholic Reporter

November 14, 2018

By Heidi Schlumpf

Some bishops have been more concerned about the reputation of the church than about victims of sexual abuse, indicating “clear corruption” and “a blind spot” that must be addressed, said Archbishop Paul Etienne of Anchorage, Alaska.

Etienne suggested a study — similar to the 2011 John Jay College “causes and context” study of priests who abused minors — to help understand “the episcopal attitude that was able to handle the abuse situation in such an inept way over the decades.”

He also criticized bishops “who have gotten too accustomed to listening to lawyers over victims” and said that he and his brother bishops must remain vigilant against “the three Ps” — pride and the desire for privilege and power.

“That’s a corruption of our life as shepherds that has to be called out and say ‘No more. It’s…

FRANCIA
Rete L’Abuso

[France: The Diocese of Saint Etienne reports suspected sexual abuse of three minors.]

Parigi. La diocesi francese di Saint Etienne ieri martedì 4 luglio ha denunciato i sospetti abusi sessuali commessi su tre minorenni negli anni ’80 dello scorso secolo da un prete che oggi ha 84 anni: i fatti sarebbero prescritti dalla legge, ma la diocesi ha ugualmente deciso di sospendere il religioso dal suo ministero; il vescovo, monsignor Sylvain Bataille, ha dichiarato di aver parlato con il prete sotto accusa, il quale gli avrebbe confessato di essere colpevole.

Le prime denunce contro l’ormai anziano religioso furono presentate all’inizio degli anni 2000, ma non hanno mai avuto seguito; la vicenda aveva suscitato un vasto scandalo in Francia sull’atteggiamento della Chiesa cattolica nei confronti degli episodi di pedofilia, spingendo infine le gerarchie ecclesiastiche ad adottare un nuovo codice di condotta per contrastare il fenomeno.

FRANCE
Le Monde

[The diocese of Saint-Etienne reports the alleged abuses of a priest in the 1980s.]

Le diocèse de Saint-Etienne a révélé, mardi 4 juillet, les abus présumés d’un prêtre de 84 ans dans les années 1980 à l’encontre de trois mineurs, des faits aujourd’hui prescrits mais pour lesquels il a été relevé de son ministère.

« Le prêtre en question, que j’ai rencontré à trois reprises, reconnaît et regrette profondément ses gestes qui ont été dénoncés au fil du temps », a souligné lors d’une conférence de presse à l’évêché Mgr Sylvain Bataille, confirmant une information du journal 20 Minutes Lyon.
Selon ce dernier, le premier signalement à la justice a été fait en 2000 par la famille de l’une des trois victimes, des garçons âgés de 12 à 16 ans à l’époque des faits, et les deux suivants en 2014 puis en mars dernier par…

FRANCE
Diocese de Ste. Etienne

[A press article published this morning concerns Father Regis Peyrard, without naming him explicitly, for acts of sexual assault on minors. He recognizes the facts. Such acts are always unspeakable. We are thinking first of all of the victims and their families, their suffering and the dramatic consequences of these acts.]

Un article de presse paru ce matin met en cause le Père Régis Peyrard, sans le nommer explicitement, pour des faits d’agressions sexuelles sur des mineurs. Celui-ci reconnaît les faits. De tels actes sont toujours inqualifiables. Nous pensons d’abord aux victimes et à leurs familles, à leurs souffrances et aux conséquences dramatiques de ces actes.

Depuis l’an 2000, à trois reprises des victimes se sont manifestées et à chaque fois les faits ont été signalés à la justice. Dès le premier signalement, des mesures internes à l’Eglise ont également été prises : résider…

FRANCE
BFM TV

[Catholic authorities in Saint-Etienne made public on Tuesday the sexual abuse of minors committed by a priest in the 1980s. Now 84 years old, the man of the church was relieved of his ministry. He acknowledged the facts.]

Les autorités catholiques de Saint-Etienne ont rendu publics mardi les abus sexuels sur mineurs qu’aurait commis un prêtre dans les années 80. Aujourd’hui âgé de 84 ans, l’homme d’Eglise a été relevé de son ministère.

Il a reconnu les faits. Un prêtre du diocèse de Saint-Etienne, dans la Loire, a été relevé de son ministère, a annoncé le diocèse lui-même, après avoir rendu public les agressions sexuelles dont l’ecclésiastique est soupçonné. Les actes, commis à l’encontre de trois mineurs, remontent aux années 80. Les trois jeunes garçons étaient alors âgés entre 12 et 16 ans.

FRANCE
Famille Chretienne

Le parquet de Lyon a ouvert une enquête préliminaire pour « non-dénonciation de crime » et « mise en danger de la vie d’autrui » à l’encontre du cardinal Philippe Barbarin, de plusieurs responsables du diocèse de Lyon, et du cardinal Müller, préfet de la Congrégation pour la doctrine de la foi. Cette enquête fait suite au dépôt de plusieurs plaintes par l’association « La Parole libérée », regroupant des victimes du Père Bernard Preynat, soupçonné d’agressions sexuelles sur des scouts entre 1986 et 1991. Elles reprochent à l’Église de ne pas avoir dénoncé à la justice les agissements de ce prêtre.

Prenant acte « avec gravité » de cette enquête, le cardinal Barbarin a rappelé dans un communiqué « qu’il n’était pas archevêque de Lyon à l’époque des faits et qu’il n’a jamais couvert aucun fait de pédophilie ». Le 19 février, le porte-parole du Vatican avait estimé que le cardinal Barbarin avait agi avec « extrême responsabilité ». Preuve…

The recent deaths of four priests offer a glimpse into changing perceptions of Catholic clergy and its relationship with sexual abuse.

Cases from Mexico, Brazil, France, and the U.S. force to rethink how the sexual abuse crisis changes perceptions of the Catholic priests.

Trying to prevent these changes by going back to opacity when addressing sexual abuse cases would only further hurt trust in the Catholic Church.

Back in the 1980s, when one got news of the killing of a priest in Latin America, one thought about cases such as that of Argentine Padre Carlos Mugica Echagüe (1974) or the many priests and nuns killed in El Salvador during the civil war there, beginning with the now-saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero (1980), or perhaps about Polish Priest Jerzy Popiełuszko (1984).

One used to believe, perhaps even conditioned, that whenever the assassination of a priest happened, there was some political motive behind what then was perceived as a…

Father Antoine Exelmans, a 60-year-old French priest in one of Casablanca’s churches, is under investigation for sexual abuse of migrants and refugees under his care in Morocco, including a minor of 15, authorities said.

Exelmans served in Morocco from 2016 to the summer of 2024 after having been sent from the Diocese of Rennes. Moroccan authorities received a complaint in May 2024. French prosecutors in Saint-Étienne said Exelmans admitted that the acts had occurred between 2020 and 2024 in Rabat and Casablanca, but claimed they were “freely consented to,” according to prosecutor Anne Gaches. Prosecutors are investigating “assaults on minors and adults under his authority due to his position,” she said, Le Parisien reported.

Moroccan news outlet Enass reported that Exelmans allegedly ran a “system of sexual exploitation” targeting migrant and refugee minors. At least six victims, mostly from Guinea and one from Cameroon, are involved.

The Archbishop of Rabat, Cristobal…

For months, a Washington state bill generated controversy over two critical interests: protecting children from abuse and protecting the freedom of religion.

Signed by the governor in May 2025, SB 5375 designated clergy as mandatory reporters, requiring them to report child sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect – even if they learned of the abuse during a confidential sacred rite.

Some faiths, including the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox churches, prohibit clergy from revealing information learned through a confession or sacrament. In the Catholic Church, there are no exceptions – and the penalty for disclosure is excommunication.

In mid-October, however, Washington state announced it would not enforce the mandatory reporting requirement for information learned during confidential rites. On Oct. 14, 2025, a federal court approved the state’s agreements with groups of Catholic and Orthodox clergy who had sued to block that part of the law, arguing it violated their religious freedom. The U.S. Department of…

The drafters of Washington State’s SB 5375 made history on May 2, when Gov. Bob Ferguson signed it into law, shifting the state from one of most lenient on child abuse reporting to one of the strictest — especially concerning clergy and the Sacrament of Confession.

That history was muted on Oct. 10 when state and county prosecutors agreed to keep “information clergy learn solely through confession or its equivalent in other faiths” under protected speech.”

“Today’s agreement respects the court’s decision in this case and maintains important protections for children,” said Attorney General Nick Brown in a press release. “It keeps crucial portions of Washington’s mandatory reporting law in place, while also preserving the Legislature’s authority to address issues with the law identified by the court.”

The state agreed to include clergy as mandated reporters but carved out an exception preserving the privileged confessional…

The agreement represents a major victory for Catholic bishops, who challenged the law’s constitutionality.

In a major victory for Catholic bishops, the state of Washington has agreed to abandon its effort to force priests to report child abuse they learn of in confession — or face imprisonment for failing to do so.

The state’s agreement Friday came in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma by the bishops of the Washington’s three Catholic dioceses in which they pointed out that the law would force priests to break the seal of confession, which results in automatic excommunication, to report abuse, or face up to 364 days imprisonment and a $5,000 fine for breaking the law.

A federal judge had issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the law days before it was to take effect on July 27, saying that requiring priests to report child abuse revealed during confession violated the U.S….

In July, a judge temporarily blocked the Washington state law from going into effect while the court case proceeded.

• In summer 2025, a rumor spread online that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration moved to overturn a law requiring Catholic priests to report child abuse. 
• It is true that the Trump administration joined a lawsuit against a Washington state law adding religious clergy to the list of “mandatory reporters,” a group of professions legally required to report suspected child abuse. However, the administration’s issue with the law focused on a provision that would require Catholic priests to report child abuse when they learn the information through confession — a Catholic rite in which a penitent confesses sins to a priest, who vows complete confidentiality. 
• As of this writing, it was not clear whether a ruling in favor of the administration would overturn the entire law or the specific part requiring religious…

July 27 could have been a landmark day for the survivors of child abuse.

That was the day that Washington state’s new law designating clergy as mandatory reporters — even if the abuse was discovered during confession or spiritual counseling — was set to take effect. Just as teachers, childcare workers, and law enforcement officers must report knowledge of child abuse, Washington became the first state in the nation to mandate that all clergy must do so as well.

But just 72 hours after Washington’s governor signed the law, the Seattle Archdiocese, along with Yakima and Spokane, filed a federal lawsuit to stop it.

Predictably, Donald Trump has now joined the fray. His Department of Justice is backing the Catholic clergy’s lawsuit, falsely claiming that mandatory reporting laws infringe on religious liberty and are inherently “anti-Catholic.” Now, a Federal judge has blocked the law — maintaining a status quo where clergy can…

A federal court has blocked a new Washington State law that would have required Catholic priests to report abuse or neglect disclosed during confession, the sacred practice where individuals confess their sins to a priest to receive forgiveness.

A federal court has blocked a new Washington State law that would have required Catholic priests to report abuse or neglect disclosed during confession, the sacred practice where individuals confess their sins to a priest to receive forgiveness.

The law which was set to take effect July 27 included penalties of up to 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine and potential civil liability for priests who failed to comply with the state’s reporting policies.

The law was temporarily suspended after a hearing on July 14 and an order issued July 18 by district Judge David Estudillo. The ruling stated that the new law violated plaintiffs’ free exercise of religion. Citing the…

A federal court blocked the law, which would have required clergy to report child abuse when shared in the confessional.

On July 18, a federal court blocked a law passed in Washington state that would have required clergy to report child abuse when shared in the confessional. Washington bishops had filed a lawsuit earlier this summer in Etienne v. Ferguson, claiming the law was “anti-Catholic” and violated religious liberty.

“For centuries, Catholic faithful around the world have sought reconciliation with God through the sacrament of confession,” says Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, in a press release. “This ruling protects that sacred space and ensures that Washingtonians of all religious stripes can live out their beliefs in peace.”

The law was set to take effect on July 27. A coalition of Catholics, ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other faith groups in Washington state helped pass the bill.

The momentum behind the…

Washington moved to close a dangerous loophole. Now there’s a constitutional showdown pitting religious freedoms against the duty to protect children

On Friday morning, May 2, 2025, supporters of Washington Senate Bill 5375 were ushered through the massive concrete arches, and up the grand staircases of the Washington State Capitol — the veins of Alaskan Tokeen marble guiding them past oil portraits and century-old busts — to the governor’s conference room on the second floor. 

Inside, amid the dark wood paneling and gleaming seal of the state, Washington’s new Governor and former Attorney General Bob Ferguson addressed the small crowd of advocates, lawmakers, and child abuse survivors who had gathered behind him. 

“I’m a Catholic as some of you know. I’m aware of my upbringing,” he said, before adding plainly: “For me this is very clear legislation and important legislation.”

Ferguson uncapped a blue felt-tip Paper Mate and, with the stroke…

The Department of Justice had lent its support to Catholic leaders who said the new law would force them to choose between prison and excommunication

[See also the text of Judge David G. Estudillo’s order.]

A federal judge has ruled that Catholic priests in Washington state cannot be required to report child abuse or neglect they learn about through confession after the Trump administration intervened in their favor.

Three Roman Catholic bishops had sued the state government over a new law — SB 5375 — that would extend mandatory abuse reporting rules to the sacrament of confession despite the Church’s absolute ban on revealing such secrets.

Last month the U.S. Department of Justice backed them up, arguing the law “deprives Catholic priests of their fundamental right to freely exercise their religious beliefs, as guaranteed under the First Amendment”.

On Friday U.S. district judge David G….

Federal Court temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the law that required clergy report child abuse by breaking the seal of confession.

A federal judge has halted a Washington state law that required Catholic priests to break the seal of confession.

The law that was passed in May, and was slated to go into effect on July 27, mandated that clergy must report child abuse or neglect when it was disclosed to them during confession.

“There is no question that SB 5375 burdens Plaintiffs’ free exercise of religion,” wrote Judge David G. Estudillo.

When clergy learn about child abuse or neglect in confession, the law “places them in the position of either complying with the requirements of their faith or violating the law,” the ruling said. The court also ruled that the state was “unable to explain why the language in [section 1-B] of the bill doubled down on singling…

[See also the text of Judge David G. Estudillo’s order.]

The Trump administration secured a victory for the confidentiality of the confessional booth as a federal judge temporarily blocked a recently-enacted anti-child abuse statute in Washington state.

In a 25-page order, U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo, a Joe Biden appointee, issued a preliminary injunction that keeps mandatory reporting legislation passed this year from going into effect. Absent the court’s order, SB 5375 would have become operative on July 27.

The law requires “any member of the clergy” who “has reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect” to “report such incident, or cause a report to be made, to the proper law enforcement agency.” This directive updates a pre-existing law that applies to a large swathe of job titles like social workers, school personnel, nurses, law enforcement officers, psychologists,…

A federal judge on Friday blocked a Washington state law requiring Catholic priests to report suspected child abuse or neglect, including any information they learn from sacramental confession, raising concerns about religious liberty.

The law, Senate Bill 5375, was slated to go into effect on July 27, but was blocked Friday after Judge David Estudillo of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington granted a preliminary injunction.

The preliminary injunction blocks the state from enforcing the law against all Catholic priests who fall “directly under the administration of” the three archbishops listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The three archbishops include Paul Etienne of Seattle, Thomas Daly of Spokane, and Joseph Tyson of Yakima, effectively covering all Catholic priests in the state.

“For centuries, Catholic faithful around the world have sought reconciliation with God through the sacrament of…

A federal judge has blocked a new mandate for members of clergy to report suspected child abuse or neglect from taking effect next week.

The law, adopted during the 2025 legislative session, has sparked a federal lawsuit, an investigation by the Department of Justice over claims of anti-Catholic bias and vows by Catholic leadership in Seattle and Spokane that their congregations would not fully abide by the requirement.

The law was set to take effect on July 27.

“For centuries, Catholic faithful around the world have sought reconciliation with God through the sacrament of confession,” Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, said in a statement Friday. “This ruling protects that sacred space and ensures that Washingtonians of all religious stripes can live out their beliefs in peace.”

A representative for Gov. Bob Ferguson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.

The ruling…

WASHINGTON — A federal judge blocked Washington state Friday from enforcing a law that would require Catholic priests to report child abuse — even when disclosed in a confessional — or face nearly a year of jail time.

US District Chief Judge David G. Estudillo in Tacoma stayed the law that threatened clergy with a $5,000 fine and up to 364 days in prison for not disclosing child abuse and neglect heard during confessions.

The legislation, SB 5375, was signed by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson in May and would have taken effect July 27.

A federal judge blocked Washington state on Friday from enforcing a law that would require Catholic priests to report child abuse — even when disclosed in a confessional — or face nearly a year of jail time.Emanuele Capoferri – stock.adobe.com

In a 25-page order, Estudillo — appointed to the federal bench by President Joe…

Three Catholic bishops sued, arguing the mandate infringes on religious freedoms. A federal judge agreed, granting an injunction on Friday.

Catholic priests in Washington cannot be required to report child abuse or neglect they learn of in confession, a federal judge ruled Friday.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge David G. Estudillo granted a preliminary injunction sought by three Catholic bishops, temporarily blocking enforcement of a controversial element in a new state law set to take effect July 27. 

Estudillo ruled that requiring disclosure of information priests hear in the confessional infringes on their First Amendment right to practice religion and will force them to violate their sacred vows or face punishment by the state.

The decision means clergy will be added to the state’s roster of professions that must report to law enforcement when they have “reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect.”

But…

Tacoma WA – Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the type of legal ruling that was issued against Washington’s mandatory reporter law.

County prosecutors in Washington state have agreed not to enforce a state law requiring clergy to report child abuse or neglect, if they learned about it in confession. That’s according to a stipulation document filed in the case. 

Catholic leaders claim the law violates their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion by requiring that they break the seal of confession, which is grounds for immediate excommunication in the Catholic Church.

There is still an ongoing request for a judge to file an injunction before the law’s effective date, on July 27. If a judge does grant that, it would stop the law from taking effect at the state level. 

Previously, anything a clergy member learned through confession was considered…

[See also the Etienne v. Ferguson lawsuit.]

The Catholic bishops of Washington state and several priests were in federal court Monday (July 14) asking the court for a preliminary injunction to temporarily block a clergy mandatory-reporting law that will go into effect on July 27. 

The injunction would allow the court case Etienne v. Ferguson go to full trial, while keeping confessional privileges at status quo if a decision to their case is not made before July 27.

The Catholic Church — across the Archdiocese of Seattle and the Dioceses of Yakima and Spokane — said in a press release they already require priests to report child abuse and neglect to law enforcement and other state authorities. The only exception would be if the information is learned during the sacrament of confession. 

Consequences of the new law

Washington’s new law imposes penalties of…

Catholic bishops and priests in Washington are challenging a new state law that requires clergy to break the seal of confession to report possible child sex abuse.

The bill, signed by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Catholic, in early May, mandates that clergy inform authorities of suspected sex abuse cases, including alleged abuse discussed during the sacrament of reconciliation, or confession. 

Backing the three Catholic dioceses in the state, the Justice Department sued Washington state in late June for launching “attacks on the free exercise of religion” and stated that “anti-Catholic” laws violating the confidentiality of confession are unconstitutional. Several Orthodox churches have joined the lawsuit as well. The hearing took place July 14. 

Supporters of the law have a different view. Mary Dispenza, a former Catholic nun and a current member of the Survivors Network of those…

A French archbishop’s decision to promote a priest who was sentenced to jail for raping a teenage boy has drawn new condemnation of the Roman Catholic Church for its record on sex abuse.

Victim support groups and traditionalists have expressed outrage over the case of Dominique Spina, who was found guilty of raping a 16-year-old boy in 2006 and sentenced to five years in prison.

The archbishop of Toulouse, Guy de Kerimel, set off the controversy in June when he named Spina as diocesan chancellor, putting him in charge of archives.

The canonical code lays down that the chancellor must be “of honest reputation and above all suspicion.”

Kerimel said he had acted out of “mercy” in making the appointment and that he had “nothing to reproach” the priest for in an “administrative function.”

In a statement released Thursday in the face of mounting protests, Kerimel acknowledged the “incomprehension” and…

French Archbishop Guy de Kerimel of Toulouse defended his appointment of a priest convicted of sexually abusing a minor as diocesan chancellor, saying that he had “chosen the path of mercy.”

The June 2 appointment of Father Dominique Spina gained widespread attention in the country after the French daily, La Dépêche du Midi, noted the priest’s 1993 conviction for sexually abusing a 16-year-old high school student, for which he was given a five-year prison sentence.

“It is true that Father Spina served a five-year prison sentence, including one suspended year, for very serious acts that took place nearly 30 years ago,” Archbishop de Kerimel said in a statement to Agence-France Presse, which was published July 7 by the French newspaper Le Monde. 

Archbishop de Kerimel added that Father Spina “no longer exercises a pastoral role,” with the exception of “celebrating the Eucharist, alone or exceptionally, for the faithful.”

“Considering that…

A contested Washington state law that would require priests to violate the seal of confession to report abuse “represents an egregious violation of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment,” Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, who is a member of the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission, told OSV News.

“That the state could interfere in this most sacred discipline of the church should alarm not only Catholics, but indeed all Americans who revere religious liberty,” he said in a statement emailed to OSV News July 7.

Bishop Barron, founder of the Word on Fire media ministry, filed a friend-of-the-court brief July 4 in a case brought May 29 by Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle and other bishops and clergy against Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and his administration over the recently passed law on mandated abuse reporting, which lacks exceptions for the clergy-penitent privilege.

Washington’s Catholic bishops had supported a version of…

Washington bishops sued last month to prevent the law from taking effect. Now, the Trump administration is looking to back their lawsuit.

The Trump Administration moved Monday to join a legal fight to overturn a new Washington law requiring religious leaders to report child abuse or neglect even when it is disclosed in confession.

A motion filed in federal court by the Department of Justice argues the law, which takes effect next month, is unconstitutional because it “deprives Catholic priests of their fundamental right to freely exercise their religious beliefs, as guaranteed under the First Amendment.” 

“The punishment for directly violating the sacramental seal of Confession is excommunication. A more direct burden on the exercise of religion would be difficult to imagine,” federal attorneys wrote in their motion to intervene in a case brought by Washington bishops last month.

That case is pending in the U.S….

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating a new Washington state law that requires clergy members to report suspected child abuse, the agency announced May 5.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday that it is suing the state of Washington over a new law making clergy members mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect.

The department claims that Senate Bill 5375, which takes effect July 27, is “anti-Catholic.” But supporters of the measure reject the idea that the legislation targets Catholics, arguing that protecting kids from abusers should be a nonpartisan notion.

The lawsuit was filed Monday, June 23, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma.

Under the new law, clergy is defined to include priests, ministers, rabbis, elders, imams and any other regularly licensed, accredited or ordained spiritual or religious heads. They’ll join nurses, school personnel, psychologists and other professionals who already…

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against a new law that demands priests report child abuse revealed during private confession.

One American Archbishop and other Catholic Church figures warned priests will be excommunicated for obiding by Washington state’s new law set to take effect on July 27.

Why It Matters

The issue spotlights the enduring tension between religious freedom and the state’s duty to protect children from abuse.

The laws proponents argue it’s necessary to help safeguard against child abuse, while critics argue that compelling clergy to breach the confessional seal damages their ability to practise religion freely.

The outcome may influence how other states approach mandated reporting requirements for clergy, especially as constitutional and civil rights groups enter the debate.

What To Know

The Democrat-led state of Washington passed a law in May requiring clergy to report any suspected child abuse and neglect learned…

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington over its recent law mandating that priests must violate the seal of confession if child abuse is learned about during the sacrament of reconciliation.

The DOJ in a press release announcing the lawsuit filed on June 23 said the Washington law “violates the free exercise of religion for all Catholics.”

“The seal of confidentiality is … the lifeblood of confession. Without it, the free exercise of the Catholic religion, i.e., the apostolic duties performed by the Catholic priest to the benefit of Catholic parishioners, cannot take place,” the DOJ wrote in the brief.

On May 3, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law Senate Bill 5375, which goes into effect July 27 and requires priests to disclose child abuse they learn about in confession. However, it exempts other professionals such as nurses…

June 23 (UPI) — The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Monday in support of a challenge to a new Washington State law mandating clergy to report child abuse, describing the rule as “anti-Catholic” and a violation of the Constitution.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Catholic, signed Senate Bill 5375 into law early last month. The new law, which goes into effect July 27, adds clergy members — including priests, ministers, rabbi and imam, among others — to the list of people required to report child abuse or neglect to the state or law enforcement under threat of being charged with a gross misdemeanor offense.

The law has received pushback from local Catholics, who have characterized it as forcing them to break the sacred seal of confession in order to avoid prison.

In the Justice Department’s lawsuit, federal prosecutors argue the new law puts Catholic…

The Catholic Bishops of Washington on Thursday asked a federal court to block a new state law requiring priests to report instances of child abuse or neglect – even when it’s disclosed in confession – before the law takes effect this summer.

Senate Bill 5375 makes members of the clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect, meaning religious leaders – ministers, priests, rabbis and others – would be required to report suspected child abuse and neglect. That means priests would be required to break the sacred seal of confession or face fines and jail time.

First Liberty Institute is one of the groups representing Archbishop Paul Etienne, Bishop Thomas Daly, and Bishop Joseph Tyson, who filed an initial lawsuit in federal court last week to block the law from taking effect on July 27.

First Liberty Institute Attorney Hiram Sasser told The Center Square that his clients’ focus is on protecting…

The Trump administration has launched an investigation into the law, calling it “anti-Catholic.” The bishops say it would force them to break their oaths.

Catholic leaders in Washington have sued the state over a new law requiring clergy to report suspected child abuse, including details potentially revealed during confession.

The lawsuit, filed last week on behalf of the bishops, alleges Senate Bill 5375, which was signed into law on May 2, violates the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The law “puts Roman Catholic priests to an impossible choice: violate 2,000 years of Church teaching and incur automatic excommunication, or refuse to comply with Washington law and be subject to imprisonment, fine, and civil liability,” the lawsuit states.

The law’s text doesn’t target Catholics specifically. In fact, it upholds the mandatory reporting requirement for ministers, priests, rabbis, imams, elders…

Washington state removes an exemption protecting the seal of confession

On Thursday, a group of Roman Catholic priests in the state of Washington announced it is suing the state over a new law requiring religious clergy to report all instances of child abuse—even those mentioned during the act of confession.

While advocates for abuse victims cheered the new legislation, high-ranking priests said they would rather go to jail than violate church doctrine by breaking the confidentiality of confession.

The law, which Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed on May 2, adds religious clergy to the list of professions required to report child abuse. The list already includes doctors, counselors, and teachers. The law takes effect on July 27.

At least 24 states make clergy members mandatory reporters, but most include an exemption for any knowledge gained during a private confession of sin. Washington’s new law does not include this exemption, causing a stir…

Roman Catholic bishops from the state of Washington have filed a lawsuit challenging a new law that forces them to violate the confessional seal, calling it “a blatant intrusion” on their First Amendment rights. 

The bishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and the Dioceses of Spokane and Yakima in Washington, along with Catholic priests in the state, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma on Thursday.

The lawsuit, which names Washington’s Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, Democratic Attorney General Nicholas Brown and every county prosecuting attorney in the state as defendants, alleges that Senate Bill 5375 is unconstitutional. 

The measure, signed into law by Ferguson earlier this month, adds members of the clergy to a list of professionals who are required to report instances of child abuse or neglect to law enforcement. Under the legislation,…

Washington’s Catholic leaders sued state leaders and county prosecutors Thursday, alleging that a controversial new law requiring priests to break the confessional seal to report suspected child abuse is “a brazen act of religious discrimination.”

The new law adds clergy to a list of other professions, such as health care workers and school personnel, who are mandatory reporters of abuse. But the church’s lawsuit pushes back on a provision of the law that does not allow carve-outs for things said during confession, and exposes priests to potential arrest. 

That decision by lawmakers violates the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, alleges the lawsuit filed in Tacoma’s federal court by leaders and priests in Washington’s three archdioceses, including Seattle archbishop Paul Etienne. It names Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown and a host of local law enforcement officials, who could…

They argue it is unconstitutional to force Catholic priests to divulge information learned in confession.

Washington’s leading Catholic bishops filed a lawsuit Thursday contending the new state law requiring religious leaders to report child abuse or neglect, even when it is disclosed in confession, is unconstitutional and should be invalidated.

They argue the law violates their First Amendment right to practice religion free of government interference, and is religious discrimination because it will force priests to violate their sacred vows or face punishment by the state.

It also violates a provision of the state constitution guaranteeing “freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment, belief and worship,” they assert.

They want the law set aside and an injunction barring criminal investigations or prosecution of Roman Catholic clergy for not divulging information learned in confession.

The new law “puts Roman Catholic priests to an impossible choice: violate 2,000 years of…

‘The sacramental seal is inviolable’

The bishops of Washington filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging a new state law that requires priests to violate the seal of confession if they suspect the abuse of minors.

The May 29 lawsuit argues that the new law violates First Amendment religious freedom protections, as well as the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and the Washington constitution.

“Confession offers the faithful a confidential space to seek God’s mercy and guidance. This trust is sacred, and any law that jeopardizes it risks discouraging those who recognize the harm they have caused from seeking moral guidance,” said Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington Catholic Conference, in a statement.

The suit argues that the law constitutes religious discrimination, because it demands that priests violate the norms of the Catholic Church to adhere to the reporting requirements, while at the same time explicitly exempting multiple other groups…

(OSV News) — Washington state’s bishops filed a lawsuit May 29 over a new law requiring clergy to report child abuse or neglect without exceptions for clergy-penitent privilege.

First reported by The Pillar, the lawsuit is in response to Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson’s approval of Senate Bill 5375 earlier the same month, which designated members of the clergy as mandatory reporters, or people required by law to report suspected or known instances of child abuse or neglect.

The requirements of the legislation signed into law did not include an exception for sacramental confessions. Other mandatory reporters in Washington state include school personnel, nurses, social service counselors and psychologists.

Clergy-Penitent Exceptions

While some have argued the bill addresses an important omission from the state’s list of mandatory reporters, others have expressed concern that without exceptions for the clergy-penitent privilege, as similar laws in other states have, Washington state’s law could place Catholic priests…

The Catholic bishops of Washington state filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging a new law that requires priests to report child abuse learned during the sacrament of confession or face jail time and fines. 

The suit, filed by the Archdiocese of Seattle and the dioceses of Spokane and Yakima, argues that the law violates the free exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment by infringing on the sacred seal of confession. The suit also claims the law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment as well as the Washington Constitution.

Signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 2, the law goes into effect July 27 and adds clergy to Washington’s list of mandatory reporters for child abuse but explicitly denies them the “privileged communication” exemption granted to other professionals, such as nurses and therapists. 

Priests who fail to report abuse learned in confession…

They argue it is unconstitutional to force Catholic priests to divulge information learned in confession.

Gov. Bob Ferguson, at podium, goes to shake hands with state Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, at the signing of a bill to make clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect, on May 2, 2025 in Olympia. At center is Mary Dispenza, a founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project. (Photo by Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)

Washington’s leading Catholic bishops filed a lawsuit Thursday contending the new state law requiring religious leaders to report child abuse or neglect, even when it is disclosed in confession, is unconstitutional and should be invalidated.

They argue the law violates their First Amendment right to practice religion free of government interference, and is religious discrimination because it will force…

Catholics bishops from the State of Washington have filed a lawsuit challenging a law requiring Catholic priests to break the confessional seal to report information about suspected child abuse or neglect.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson (D), himself a Catholic, recently signed legislation singling out Catholic clergy as “supervisors” who cannot use legal privileges to defend themselves from its reporting requirements for child abuse investigations.

It grants protections to other professions including nurses and therapists, exempting them from having to report such information. The law is set to go into effect in July.

The bishops of Washington’s lawsuit filed on Thursday argues that the new law violates First Amendment protections, the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, and Washington’s constitution. Catholic news website The Pillar first reported on the lawsuit.

“Washington is targeting the Roman Catholic Church in a brazen act of religious discrimination. Without any basis in law or…

A new Washington state law that requires members of the clergy to report child abuse or neglect, including when the information is revealed in confession, is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

The DOJ claims the law is anti-Catholic and appears on its face to violate the First Amendment. The investigation, which was announced earlier this month, will look at the development and passage of Senate Bill 5375.

The bill, which adds clergy members to the list of mandatory reporters, was passed by the Senate in a 28-20 vote and 64-31 by the House. It was signed into law May 2 by Gov. Bob Ferguson and is to go into effect July 27.

A DOJ news release says the law has no exception for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic priests.

“SB 5375 demands that Catholic Priests violate their deeply held faith…

Washington state Senator Noel Frame has rejected the Catholic Church’s claim that it would have to excommunicate priests who comply with her new child abuse reporting law.

During an interview with NRP’s Dave Miller, she said: “There’s nothing to say they cannot change their rules.”

Newsweek contacted state Senator Frame for comment via online inquiry form on Friday outside of regular office hours.

Why It Matters

The debate highlights the tension that can exist between what religious groups claim are theological requirements and secular legislation.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon told the New York Post that the new law “demands that Catholic Priests violate their deeply held faith in order to obey the law, a violation of the Constitution and a breach of the free exercise of religion” showing the Trump administration is placing itself firmly on the side of religious authority.

What to Know

Washington state Governor Bob…

A Washington state lawmaker has called on the Catholic Church to change its centuries-old confessional policy so that priests can comply with a new child abuse reporting law.

Democratic state Sen. Noel Frame said the Catholic Church has the ability to alter its internal rules to meet the requirements of Senate Bill 5375, which takes effect in late July.

The new law removes an exemption that had previously shielded Catholic clergy from having to report suspected child abuse or neglect if they learned of it during confession.

Once in force, priests — along with other members of the clergy — will be legally required to report such cases to law enforcement or the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families within 48 hours.

Frame, a sponsor of the bill and a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, said she discovered that clergy were not already mandatory reporters while researching abuse allegations…

A new law signed by Washington Go. Bob Ferguson requires all members of the clergy to report cases of child abuse or neglect regardless of the source of the details, including the confessional.

The law goes into effect this July.

The Archdiocese of Seattle has responded by threatening excommunication for any Catholic clergy who follow the new law.  Archbishop Paul D. Etienne says the Church already has a policy of mandatory reporting in place for priests but it does not apply to information received during the rite of confession.

Etienne cited Acts 5:29 in a statement responding the law  “We must obey God rather than men”.  His May 4th statement titled Clergy: Responsible to God or State was clear on the Catholic Church’s response

“This is our stance now in the face of this new law. Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will…

Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington State recently signed into law legislation obligating Catholic clergy to disclose reports of child abuse heard during sacramental confessions, adding “members of the clergy” to a list of other professionals who are mandatory reporters on child abuse.

The new law, signed on May 2, has been denounced by local Catholic leaders as an infringement of Catholic religious freedom, forcing priests to choose between ecclesial and secular authority, as Washington’s bishops say that priests who violate the seal of confession will incur an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication. Similar laws have been defeated in other U.S. states over the past several years.

Washington is not the first state to enact or introduce legislation on this matter. New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia all already require clergy to disclose information about sexual abuse obtained in the context of a confession. In 2023 a flurry of legislation was introduced…

The state law, in Washington, applies to all religions but has outraged Catholics in particular. The Justice Department is investigating.

The secrecy of the confessional in the Roman Catholic Church is so sacrosanct that any priest who violates it is automatically excommunicated.

In Washington State, a new law requiring clergy to break the seal when child abuse has been revealed has kindled a heated battle involving the state, the Roman Catholic Church and the Justice Department.

The legislation, signed into law last week by Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, requires members of the clergy to report child abuse or neglect to authorities, even if that knowledge arises during the sacrament of confession. It has outraged many Catholics in the state, and across the country.

“This law is a clear intrusion into the practice of our Catholic faith,” said Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle. “The state is now intruding…

Catholic bishops in Washington state are rejecting a new law that requires clergy to report child sexual abuse revealed during the sacrament of confession—setting up a constitutional clash between church doctrine and state law.

The law requires clergy of all faiths and traditions throughout Washington to come forward about child abuse, including priests who are told about abuse during confession.

However, a priest who reveals anything told to him during confession will be excommunicated from the Church, even when it comes to a crime being committed within their congregation.

Why It Matters

The law raises significant First Amendment questions and could reshape how religious confidentiality is handled across the U.S. While clergy are mandated reporters in most states, the majority still protect confessions as privileged communication. Washington is set to become one of the few states to explicitly deny such an exemption.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a civil…

The Catholic bishops in Spokane and Seattle have told parishioners they will not fully comply with a new Washington law that requires clergy to report sexual abuse to police, similar to teachers, police officers and other professionals.

Catholic leaders say that priests who hear confessions are obligated to keep those confessions secret, but that they are supportive of the rule outside of the Catholic sacrament of confession.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that it has opened an investigation into the law, alleging that it “appears on its face to violate the First Amendment.”

In separate statements, Thomas Daly, bishop of Spokane, said “shepherds, bishops and priests, are committed to keeping the seal of confession – even to the point of going to jail,” and Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle said those who break the seal of confession face excommunication from the church.

“All Catholics must know and…

A new law in the U.S. state of Washington which requires “members of the clergy” to report cases of child abuse or neglect learned in the confessional to police is being looked at by the U.S. Justice Department to see if it violates the First Amendment of the United States.

Senate Bill 5375 passed by margins of 64-31 in the House and 28-20 in the Senate, and was signed by Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson, a Catholic, on Friday.

“Protecting our kids, first, is the most important thing. This bill protects Washingtonians from abuse and harm,” Ferguson said.

The Bill offered no exception for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic priests.

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle issued a statement referring to the quote of Saint Peter in the Acts of the Apostles: “We must obey God rather than men.”

“This is our stance now in the face…

“Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church.”

Catholic priests cannot follow a new Washington state law that requires them to violate the seal of confession if abuse of minors is suspected, two bishops in the state reiterated this week.

“While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse, priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation,” said Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle in a May 4 statement.

“Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church,” he stressed. “All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church.”

On May 2, Washington Gov. Robert Ferguson signed a law making clergy members mandated reporters, who…

Earlier this week Bishop Dominique Rey of the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon announced his resignation three years early at the request of Pope Francis following an apostolic visitation of his diocese.

The 72-year-old bishop, who has served in Fréjus-Toulon since 2000, has been at odds with Rome in recent years, largely over the restriction of the Traditional Latin Mass and discernment to the priesthood and religious life of individuals who adhere to the so-called “Old Rite.”

An initial visitation of the Fréjus-Toulon diocese was conducted in 2022, resulting in the postponement of the diocese’s priestly ordinations, originally scheduled for the June 29 feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

Subsequently, a full apostolic visitation of the diocese began in 2023, and Bishop François Touvet was named coadjutor of Fréjus-Toulon, a position typically assigned to someone set to take over the post of bishop once the sitting prelate dies or resigns, and assumed…

The Washington Attorney General’s office says Catholic Church records related to child sex abuse do not qualify for religious exemption and should be made public.

That’s according to a recent appeal to overturn a previous decision that prevented investigators from subpoenaing Catholic Church records. That lower court decision, issued by a King County Superior Court judge, said the records were protected under the state’s Charitable Trust Act.

In the filing, the AG’s office argues that the religious exemptions don’t apply to secular misconduct like child sex abuse, and the ruling conflicts with other laws.

“The stakes in this case are profound. At issue is not only the AGO’s ability to investigate the misuse of charitable trust funds to conceal and facilitate something as horrific as child sex abuse, but also the fundamental principle that no institution—religious or otherwise—should be above the law when Washingtonians’ fundamental right to freedom from sexual…

The indefatigable Pope Francis willbe on the road again Sept. 26-29, less than two weeks after finishing a marathon voyage to Asia and Oceania. His destination this time is closer to home: the northern European countries of Luxembourg and Belgium.  

Western Europe has hardly been the focus of attention for Pope Francis, the first pope from the Global South, who has preferred to reach out to developing countries and the non-Catholic world. Yet this trip will qualify, in another sense, as a visit to the “peripheries” that he has always identified as his mission field.  

Once a bastion of Catholic culture, Belgium, where the Pope will spend most of his time, increasingly exemplifies the post-Christian, secular West. Fifty percent of Belgians identified as Catholic in 2022, a drop of 16% from a decade earlier, according to the country’s bishops’ conference. Only 8.9% of those attend Mass even once a month. 

…

Special to The Seattle Times

The Seattle Times’ July 28 editorial, “Survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy deserve transparency, closure,” implied that the Archdiocese of Seattle does not understand the needs of victim-survivors and that it is shirking its responsibility to them. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Since the mid-1980s, before any requirements were in place, the Archdiocese has worked with a group of independent, community-based experts on survivors and offenders to improve the response to victims and implement a comprehensive Safe Environment program to prevent sexual abuse.

Since 2002, the independent Review Board has met regularly, with the serving archbishop also in attendance. Each of the archbishops since 2002 has supported an expanded role for the board that also encompasses review of allegations of sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults by clergy, employees and volunteers. 

We know from survivors that their definition of justice and…

Charities set up by France’s most famous Catholic priest, Abbé Pierre, are distancing themselves from their founder following a fresh wave of sexual assault allegations against a man once best known for his fight against homelessness and poverty. Emmaus International – which has more than 400 organisations worldwide – announced Monday that it was looking into “some kind of compensation for victims” the same day that an investigation by Radio France raised questions about how long both the foundation and the Catholic Church had been covering up half a century of sexual abuse.

The late Capuchin monk, Catholic priest and campaigner for the homeless widely known as Abbé Pierre has been the literal face of charity for many people in France. For decades, the organisations that he helped to build, including the Abbé Pierre Foundation and the Emmaus movement, have put his name and face at the forefront of their…

The Archdiocese of Seattle faces two new lawsuits for alleged child sexual abuse that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, adding to a growing list of ongoing cases against the institution.

The plaintiffs say they were sexually assaulted as children by a local Catholic school coach as administrators and staff looked the other way. The men named in the lawsuit as perpetrators have died since the alleged abuse occurred.

Attorneys representing the victims, who are only identified in the lawsuits as “John Doe,” say there are likely more lawsuits to come.

The new claims follow a failed effort by the state to subpoena the Seattle Archdiocese for documents related to sexual abuse allegations. Dozens of child sex abuse cases have been brought against the Archdiocese over the years.

RELATED: Sex abuse survivors ask Vatican to investigate Seattle Archdiocese as Washington’s lawsuit fails

The two new lawsuits say…

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has said he will appeal a judge’s decision to reject his request to enforce a subpoena against the Archdiocese of Seattle in a clergy sex abuse investigation, while Archbishop Paul Etienne has renewed his offer for collaboration between the sides.

Alleging that the Archdiocese of Seattle refused to cooperate, Ferguson’s office announced in May that he filed a court petition to get the subpoena enforced. The subpoena sought archdiocesan records for an investigation into whether the archdiocese used charitable funds to cover up clergy sex abuse allegations.

Ferguson’s office first sent the subpoena to the Archdiocese of Seattle in July 2023, and then again this past April seeking additional information, including accounting and financial records. The Dioceses of Spokane and Yakima, also in Washington, were subpoenaed as well.

Rejecting Ferguson’s request on July 12, King County Superior Court Judge Michael Scott ruled that the attorney…

On Friday, a judge decided to not force the Seattle Archdiocese to turn over records that the Attorney General’s Office has been asking for since last July.

Ahead of the hearing, survivors of clergy sexual abuse made a point to be at the courthouse.

“For me personally I have been working hard for this day for 31 or 32 years, since I faced my abuse by a priest when I was seven,” said Mary Dispenza.

Wearing a pin with a picture of her at that age, Dispenza is now on a mission to expose what she said the Catholic Church has kept hidden.

The Seattle Archdiocese has released its official record of clergy credibly accused. There are more than 80 names on the list.

“I don’t believe that 80 is the accurate number at all,” said Dispenza, who believes it is much higher.  Continue reading

…

A judge in Washington state on Friday rejected the state attorney general’s request to enforce a subpoena against the Archdiocese of Seattle as part of an ongoing investigation into sex abuse. 

Attorney General Bob Ferguson had said in May that his office had sent subpoenas to the Seattle Archdiocese, the Diocese of Spokane, and the Diocese of Yakima as part of an investigation into whether the bishoprics “used charitable funds to cover up allegations of child sex abuse by clergy.”

The attorney general’s office claimed in May that the Seattle Archdiocese “refused to cooperate” with the subpoena, leading the prosecutor to request that the King County Superior Court enforce the demand under the state’s Charitable Trusts Act, which imposes transparency requirements on large charitable trusts. 

In a press release shared with CNA, the archdiocese said that King County Superior Court Judge Michael Scott on Friday…

A Washington state judge said Friday that Attorney General Bob Ferguson is not entitled to enforce a subpoena seeking decades of records from the Seattle Archdiocese, despite his assertion that the records are needed to learn whether the Catholic church used charitable trust funds to cover up sexual abuse by priests.

Judge Michael Scott sided with the archdiocese, which argued that under the state’s law governing charitable trusts, Ferguson did not have authority to enforce the subpoena. The law contains an exemption designed to ensure the state does not meddle in religious practices.

Nevertheless, Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne said in a written statement after Friday’s decision that the church is willing to provide the state with relevant records and collaborate with Ferguson on the investigation “in a lawful manner.”

“Sexual abuse in the Church is a heart-wrenching part of our history, and I am deeply sorry for the pain caused…

A Washington state judge said Friday that Attorney General Bob Ferguson is not entitled to enforce a subpoena seeking decades of records from the Seattle Archdiocese, despite his assertion that the records are needed to learn whether the Catholic church used charitable trust funds to cover up sexual abuse by priests.

Judge Michael Scott sided with the archdiocese, which argued that under the state’s law governing charitable trusts, Ferguson did not have authority to enforce the subpoena. The law contains an exemption designed to ensure the state does not meddle in religious practices.

Nevertheless, Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne said in a written statement after Friday’s decision that the church is willing to provide the state with relevant records and collaborate with Ferguson on the investigation “in a lawful manner.”

“Sexual abuse in the Church is a heart-wrenching part of our history, and I am deeply sorry for the pain caused…

A King County judge has rejected a request by state investigators to compel the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle to release decades of records on priests who may have abused children.

Judge Michael Scott ruled that Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson lacks the authority to demand the documents and that the Catholic Church has a religious exemption.

“I have a lot of respect for Judge Scott,” Ferguson said. “Excellent judge, but we think he’s mistaken on this.”

Ferguson said the records are needed to see whether the church used charitable trust funds to cover up sexual abuse by priests. He has asked the Seattle Archdiocese to voluntarily hand over these documents but said he has been stonewalled for the past year, so he filed subpoenas to force their release.

During a hearing on Friday, the lead state investigator presented the state’s arguments to have Judge Scott enforce…

Judge to decide if Catholic Church must release documents in priest abuse case

Efforts to uncover the extent of sexual abuse by Catholic priests will hinge on the decision by a judge on whether the church will have to turn over documents sought by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

A court hearing is set for Friday afternoon as Ferguson seeks to compel the release of evidence pertaining to the sexual abuse of children by potentially dozens of priests.

Last summer, the attorney general began his investigation when he sent subpoenas to the archbishops of the dioceses in Seattle, Yakima and Spokane. Ferguson said they refused to share any documents that were not already publicly available, and in May he filed a petition in King County Superior Court to compel the Archdiocese of Seattle to comply with his subpoenas.

Church leaders have expressed surprise at the…

On Friday, officials at the Vatican Embassy in Washington, D.C., and in Rome received a letter from Seattle area survivors of child sexual abuse and their advocates. They’re asking top officials to investigate leadership at the Archdiocese of Seattle for allegedly failing to comply with the Washington State Attorney General’s investigation into the sexual abuse allegations against its clergy members.

The letter follows a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Bob Ferguson in May, an effort to compel the Seattle Archdiocese to turn over documents related to those sexual abuse allegations.

“The Church has more information than is shared with the public,” Ferguson said at a press conference about the lawsuit. “It has released names, but has not released its files on these abusive priests. No one has read files. The purpose of our investigation is to uncover whether the Church has misused charitable trust funds to cover up systemic sexual…

Groups urge Pope Francis to investigate Archbishop Etienne for breaking new church law by refusing to comply with AGO subpoena

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 10, 2024

When: Thursday, July 11th, 11:00am

Where: St. James Cathedral, 804 9th Ave, Seattle, WA; AG Ferguson’s Office, 800 5th Ave #2000, Seattle, WA

Who: Survivors of clergy sexual abuse, members of the Catholic Accountability Project (CAP), Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)

What: A press conference where survivors of clergy abuse and members of CAP will announce a complaint against Archbishop Etienne sent to the Vatican outside St. James Cathedral and march from the cathedral to AG Ferguson’s office to deliver thousands of pages of sexual abuse documents and evidence provided by church whistleblowers

Why: On July 26th, 2023, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson sent subpoenas to Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle, Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima,…

What is the proper spiritual response to the abuse crisis in the Church? is the question raised at the “Repairing the Irreparable” conference in Rome. Father Étienne Kern, who initiated the event, discusses the aims of the conference.

The Church must grapple with the spiritual repercussions and necessary reparations of the sexual abuse crisis, emphasizing the need to honor and support the victims and restore faith among the deeply shaken Christian community, says the rector of the Shrine of Paray-le-Monial in eastern France, who initiated a conference in Rome titled, “Repairing the Irreparable.” 

Listening to and supporting victims on the psychological, financial, and legal levels  “is absolutely essential, but not sufficient. Some victims also ask the Church to honor the distinctly spiritual dimension of reparation because they have also been harmed in their souls,” Father Étienne Kern told La Croix’s Gilles Donada in an interview, discussing the aims of the conference.

Participants at the May…

[See the Attorney General’s Petition to Enforce Subpoena.]

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Thursday he’s seeking a court order to force the Seattle Archdiocese to turn over files on priests accused of sexual abuse and make its archbishop answer questions under oath as part of a sweeping probe into how the state’s three Catholic dioceses handled claims of child sex abuse.

Ferguson’s office is looking into “allegations that the Catholic Church has facilitated and attempted to cover up decades of pervasive sexual abuse of children by Church leaders in Washington State,” his office’s petition for a court order states.

Because the Seattle Archdiocese “refuses to cooperate” with civil subpoenas issued by his office last summer and last month, Ferguson went public with his probe Thursday by filing a legal petition in King County Superior Court that seeks an…

Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a petition Thursday to compel the Catholic Church to hand over files and answer questions under oath. 

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Thursday he’s seeking a court order to force the Seattle Archdiocese to turn over files on priests accused of sexual abuse and make its archbishop answer questions under oath as part of a sweeping probe into how the state’s three Catholic dioceses handled claims of child sex abuse.

Ferguson’s office is looking into “allegations that the Catholic Church has facilitated and attempted to cover up decades of pervasive sexual abuse of children by Church leaders in Washington State,” his office’s petition for a court order states.

Because the Seattle Archdiocese “refuses to cooperate” with civil subpoenas issued by his office last summer and last month, Ferguson went public with his probe Thursday by filing 

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson this week announced legal action against the Archdiocese of Seattle over what the prosecutor said was a refusal to cooperate with the state’s ongoing investigation into an alleged cover-up of clergy abuse there. 

Ferguson’s office said in a Thursday press release and at an accompanying press conference that it was “initiating legal action against the Seattle Archdiocese” over the archdiocese’s alleged refusal “to comply with Ferguson’s investigation into whether the three Washington dioceses of the Catholic Church used charitable funds to cover up allegations of child sex abuse by clergy.”

The attorney general’s office said that pursuant to that investigation it had sent subpoenas to Washington’s three Catholic bishoprics — the Seattle Archdiocese as well as the Dioceses of Spokane and Yakima — but that the Seattle Archdiocese “refused to cooperate.”

Ferguson subsequently filed a petition in King County Superior Court demanding that the attorney general’s…

Both French authorities and the Vatican seem reluctant to act on accusations of sexual abuse by French priests in Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, and more.

Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron accepted the resignation of Catholic Bishop Gilles Reithinger. A few days later, the Holy See confirmed the stepping down of the 51-year-old cleric. No explanation was given for this unusual departure, but the prelate is embroiled in numerous allegations of sexual abuse perpetrated by French missionaries across all of Asia. 

In a documentary released by France 24 in September 2023, “A Deafening Silence,” Father Philippe, a French priest in Japan who is himself accused of sexual abuse, confessed that he had sexual relations with his ecclesial supervisor, Reithinger. This occurred years ago when Philippe was studying in Paris. Later the young missionary was sent to Japan while Reithinger became the superior of the French missionary society, the Missions…

New information shared with KOMO News indicates that leaders of Washington’s Catholic dioceses were subpoenaed, but KOMO directly asked the Attorney General’s office, which declined to comment.

Two groups, Ending Clergy Abuse and Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) gathered outside the Attorney General’s office in Olympia, calling for action.

“It’s time for truth-telling. If not now – when? I’m 83 years old. I want to see change,” said Mary Dispenza, with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Dispenza told KOMO News she was just seven when a priest raped her. She is now working alongside others demanding change and investigations by the Attorney General.Skip about:blank

“The victims can’t do it on their own,” said Tim Law, a…

Pope Francis accepted the resignation Wednesday of a 51-year-old French auxiliary bishop. 

But while the local Church has insisted Bishop Gilles Reithinger resigned for “health reasons,” the bishop was also engulfed by a scandal surrounding the Paris Foreign Missions Society.

The Holy See press office announced Feb. 14 — Ash Wednesday — that the pope had accepted the resignation of Bishop Reithinger from the office of auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Strasbourg. It did not offer an explanation for the step.

The Strasbourg archdiocese, which traces its roots to the 4th century, has a distinctive status thanks to the Concordat of 1801, according to which episcopal moves are jointly approved by the Vatican and the French president.

The French state therefore also announced Wednesday that the president had agreed to Reithinger’s resignation. It did not provide an explanation for the resignation.

Archbishop Philippe Ballot, the Bishop of Metz and the apostolic…

Advocacy group claims Catholic Bishops were subpoenaed to produce abuse-related evidence

New information shared with KOMO News indicates that leaders of Washington’s Catholic dioceses were subpoenaed, but KOMO directly asked the Attorney General’s office, which declined to comment.

Two groups, Ending Clergy Abuse and Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) gathered outside the Attorney General’s office in Olympia, calling for action.

“It’s time for truth-telling. If not now – when? I’m 83 years old. I want to see change,” said Mary Dispenza, with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Dispenza told KOMO News she was just seven when a priest raped her. She is now working alongside others demanding change and investigations by the Attorney General.

“The victims can’t do it on their own,” said Tim Law, a founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project.

Victim advocacy groups said the Washington State Attorney General’s Office issued statewide subpoenas. However,…

New information shared with KOMO News indicates that leaders of Washington’s Catholic dioceses were subpoenaed, but KOMO directly asked the Attorney General’s office, which declined to comment.

Two groups, Ending Clergy Abuse and Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) gathered outside the Attorney General’s office in Olympia, calling for action.

“It’s time for truth-telling. If not now – when? I’m 83 years old. I want to see change,” said Mary Dispenza, with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Dispenza told KOMO News she was just seven when a priest raped her. She is now working alongside others demanding change and investigations by the Attorney General.

“The victims can’t do it on their own,” said Tim Law, a founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project.

Victim advocacy groups said the Washington State Attorney General’s Office issued statewide subpoenas. However, Brionna Aho with the Attorney General’s Office told KOMO News that…

A 50-year-old charismatic movement has announced it will form an independent commission to study problems in the group’s past.

The Community of the Beatitudes, which was founded in France and is now present in 27 countries, said Nov. 8 it will establish a multidisciplinary commission of experts to “shed light and shadow on the community’s history,” which includes sexual abuse and abuse of conscience.

The decision to form a commission was made at the end of the community’s general assembly, held Oct. 27–Nov. 5 in Nouan-le-Fuzelier, central France.

While the assembly’s 71 delegates were scheduled to also elect a new president during the meeting, Archbishop Guy de Kerimel of Toulouse, who has overseen the community since January 2022, decided to postpone the election to May 9, 2024, to have more time to better know the members, according to French newspaper La Croix.

The Community of the Beatitudes, which…

Stewards of Pope Francis’ Catholic church lean more towards “neo-Marxism” than its roots in biblical doctrine, writes Rocco Loiacono.

A scathing article written by the late Cardinal George Pell was published a day after his passing in January, which described a key Catholic Church leadership group as a “toxic nightmare”.

The Synod on Synodality is where mostly bishops from the religion conduct a series of meetings with Pope Francis to forge a direction for the church.

But Cardinal Pell said documents from the gatherings were “couched in neo-Marxist jargon”.

Moreover, in his Campion College lecture in August last year Cardinal Pell said the Synod was “largely irrelevant to the preaching of the gospel and the threat of decline, being more concerned with redistribution of power”.

In opening the Synod process in 2021, Pope Francis called for the Catholic Church to “encounter, listen and discern”.

But the meeting avoided any mention…

The U.S. bishops’ conference on Tuesday announced the candidates for the leadership of six standing committees, and for the officer position of secretary, to be voted upon at their November plenary meeting.

The conference has been roiled by serious debate in recent years — and more debates over politics, healthcare, and finances are coming. 

But the nominees announced Tuesday for officer and committee posts indicate much more about the cohesion of the U.S. bishops’ conference than about its divisions, suggesting that while the conference has been the locus of fractious debate in recent years, the debate has been lopsided, with the majority of bishops seeming to adopt a similar theological worldview.

The nominations also suggest that some U.S. bishops may have disengaged from their conference — and that in the years to come, the bishops’ conference could face a mounting challenge to its central role in the life of the Church.

…

Allegations against Bishop Georges Colomb of La Rochelle go back ten years when he headed the Paris Foreign Missions (MEP); he’s the twelfth French bishop to be accused of abuse in the past year.

Bishop Georges Colomb, head of the Catholic Diocese of La Rochelle in southwestern France the past seven years, has been accused of sexually assaulting a young adult male in 2013 when the prelate was the superior general of the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP).

The 70-year-old bishop has denied the accusations, which were made public on June 13, and said he will ask Pope Francis to let him temporarily step aside from his administrative and pastoral duties to allow a full inquiry to take place.

“I am stunned by these allegations, which I totally deny,” said Colomb, who is the latest of at least 12 French bishops to be accused of sexual aggression in the past…

Two more bishops were accused of sexual abuse while heading the church’s main missionary organization

French church leaders have appealed for patience and fairness in establishing the truth, after two more bishops were accused of sexual abuse while heading the church’s main missionary organization.

“The charges are serious, and both categorically deny them,” said Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims, the bishops’ conference president.

“The voice of complainants must be heard, the rights of defendants respected, and it is now up to the investigations to ascertain the whole truth. … My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who may be suffering,” he said in a June 13 statement.

The bishops’ conference president was reacting to June 13 joint reports in three Catholic newspapers that prosecutors were investigating alleged offenses by Bishop Georges Colomb of La Rochelle-Saintes and Auxiliary Bishop Gilles Reithinger of Strasbourg during their time heading the…

In 2020 a nun accused the retired Archbishop of Auch, Maurice Gardès, of spiritual and sexual abuse.

The French Church has identified one of the previously unnamed retired archbishops investigated for sexual abuse, a revelation delayed because civil prosecutors did not inform Church officials that they had closed the case without taking any action.

After a prosecutor confirmed reporting by Famille Chrétienne, the archdioceses of Auch, Lyon and Toulouse issued a joint statement confirming that a nun had accused retired Auch Archbishop Maurice Gardès in 2020 of “moral and sexual harassment, spiritual abuse and sexual aggression”.

The complaint to the Lyon archdiocese was made a month before the archbishop’s retirement was announced by the Vatican. Lyon was also reported it to civil authorities, who sent it to colleagues in Auch.

Prosecutors in Auch looked into the case but filed it away in April 2022 because it was too old and not…

A retired French archbishop was ordered to lead a life of prayer and penance in 2021 following allegations of sexual assault and spiritual abuse.

Archbishop Maurice Gardès, who stood down as Archbishop of Auch in southwest France in October 2020 at the age of 75, was forbidden from exercising public ministry and returning to his former archdiocese. He was also required to undergo psychotherapy.

The report was confirmed by a joint statement issued April 27 by Auch’s current Archbishop Bertrand Lacombe, Toulouse Archbishop Guy de Kerimel, and Lyon Archbishop Olivier de Germay.

The statement said that in September 2020, the Archdiocese of Lyon received the testimony of a female religious who accused Gardès of “moral and sexual harassment, spiritual abuse, and sexual assault.”

The Lyon archdiocese alerted the local public prosecutor, who sent the file to the prosecutor in Auch. At the same time, a canonical process began, with precautionary measures imposed…

The head of a prominent French archdiocese said Thursday that he had presented his resignation to Pope Francis, but strongly defended his turbulent six-year tenure. 

At 65 years of age, Archbishop Luc Ravel is a decade away from the customary retirement age for diocesan bishops.

In an April 20 statement, he gave no reason for offering to resign but appeared to hit back at claims that he had governed in an aloof and authoritarian manner.

He said: “Peace being the supreme good, as we have entered this magnificent time of Easter, I have presented my resignation to the Holy Father, for whom I pray every day.”

“I have always acted as closely as possible to the law and to my conscience, having consulted extensively on each decision, in order to take difficult measures, but which I would have been reproached for not having taken later, in view of the elements in…