Arizona lawmaker vows to block bills requiring clergy to break seal of Confession
Caroline MolloyAn Arizona Catholic lawmaker vowed to continue blocking legislation that would attempt to force Catholic clergy to break the seal of Confession by requiring them to report child abuse disclosed during confession or face felony charges, days after the state Supreme Court upheld protections for confidential religious communications.
Rep. Quang Nguyen, a Republican and chairman of the state’s House Judiciary Committee, said that he will continue to block any efforts to narrow Arizona’s protections for confidential religious communications, according to an Aug. 3 Capitol Media Services report. Arizona law already requires clergy to report suspected child abuse learned outside a confessional or confidential communication, he noted. Information obtained through confession remains protected, and Nguyen said he will not support requiring its disclosure.
“As a Catholic, confession is one of the very important sacraments of the Church,” Nguyen said, according to the outlet. “I will not break that sacrament. I will not be the guy to do that.”
The canonical penalty on a priest who violates the seal of Confession, which has been a component of the sacrament for centuries, is excommunication.
Nguyen has repeatedly declined to hold hearings on bills sponsored by Rep. Stacey Travers, D-Phoenix, that would require clergy to report when they suspect that abuse disclosed in Confession is ongoing or likely to continue.
Travers plans to reintroduce the measure when the legislature reconvenes in January, Capitol Media Services reported. She said her proposal would preserve confidentiality in most cases while addressing situations in which a person confesses ongoing abuse with the assurance that clergy will not report it.
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled unanimously July 30 that courts may not independently evaluate how clergy members apply religious doctrine when deciding whether confidential communications must remain private from authorities.
