Washington State Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson on Friday signed legislation into law that requires Catholic priests to divulge information dealing with neglect or abuse of a child that was shared during a confession.

Archbishop Paul Etienne wrote in a statement posted by the Washington State Catholic Conference that the position of the church is to stand in defiance of the law. “We must obey God rather than men,” (Acts 5:29). This is our stance now in the face of this new law.”

The Archbishop said: “Confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential, and protected by the law of the church.” He said the issue is not disclosing the information, but strictly on how it is obtained. “Our policies already require priests to be mandatory reporters, but not if this information is obtained during confession.”

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