Catholic Church to excommunicate priests for following WA law requiring child abuse confessions to be reported
The Catholic Church announced that priests will be excommunicated if they follow a new Washington state law requiring clergy to report confessions about child abuse to law enforcement.
"Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession — or they will be excommunicated from the Church," the Archdiocese of Seattle said in a statement. "All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church."
"The Catholic Church agrees with the goal of protecting children...
Catholic Church To Excommunicate Priests for Following New US State Law
The Catholic Church has issued a warning to its clergy in Washington state: Any priest who complies with a new law requiring the reporting of child abuse confessions to authorities will be excommunicated.
The new law, which will take effect on July 27, eliminates the long-standing confidentiality of the confessional, forcing Catholic leaders and lawmakers into a highly charged standoff over religious liberty and child protection.
Feds call child abuse confession law for priests "anti-Catholic" as church vows to excommunicate those who comply
The Catholic Church and federal government reacted vehemently to new legislation in Washington state that requires priests to report child abuse or neglect to law enforcement after learning about the crime through confessions.
Gov. Mike Ferguson signed the controversial bill into law last week, making it mandatory for all clergy to report child abuse, without exemptions for information disclosed during confession. Confessions were previously considered privileged...
What we know about claims 70 Christians were beheaded in Democratic Republic of Congo
In February 2025, claims (archived) circulated on social media and news outlets including Fox News and Newsweek that 70 Christians were beheaded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Media reports and posts (archived) on X (archived), Facebook and Instagram (archived) said the bodies of the victims were found in a church in Kasanga after the victims were kidnapped from Mayeba, both villages in North Kivu province in the country's northeast.
2024 Voter Guide: Where the Presidential Candidates Stand on Religion
Protestant reverend leads lawsuit against mandatory Bible study in Oklahoma
A coalition of faith leaders, parents, students, and teachers in Oklahoma are suing over a far-right official’s plans to incorporate the Bible into the teaching plans of every public school in the state. In June, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters (R) issued an edict mandating Sooner State schools “to incorporate the Bible” across all fifth through 12th grade curricula. The directive was “effective immediately,” according to the memorandum instituting the change. It was also immediately controversial, resulting in pushback from educators across the state.
Oklahoma State Superintendent Orders Bible Be Taught in Schools
Public schools in Oklahoma are now required to teach students about the Bible and the Ten Commandments, the state’s top education official said Thursday.
Oklahoma schools now required to teach Bible, Ten Commandments: superintendent
All public schools in Oklahoma are now required to incorporate the Bible and Ten Commandments into their curricula for grades 5-10, primarily for historical context.
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters issued a memo Thursday informing superintendents across the state their districts are required to incorporate the Bible into lessons.
Walters said in the memo that his directive aligns with educational standards approved in May 2019.
Oklahoma state superintendent orders schools to teach the Bible in grades 5 through 12
Oklahoma’s top education official ordered public schools Thursday to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12, the latest effort by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms.
The directive drew immediate condemnation from civil rights groups and supporters of the separation of church and state, with some calling it an abuse of power and a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The Ten Commandments must be displayed in Louisiana classrooms under requirement signed into law
Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom under a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday.
The GOP-drafted legislation mandates that a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” be required in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Although the bill did not receive final approval from Landry, the time for gubernatorial action — to sign or veto the bill — has lapsed.