While clergy are often mandatory reporters outside of the confessional, long-standing legal precedent in the U.S. recognizes the religious freedom of confessors and penitents to be exempt from those ...

Confession, the Catholic and Orthodox practice of listing one’s sins in the presence of a priest who then offers absolution and is sworn to secrecy under pain of eternal damnation, has long been a ...

The state law, in Washington, applies to all religions but has outraged Catholics in particular. The Justice Department is investigating. By Ruth Graham Ruth Graham covers faith and religion. The ...

One supporter of the law, a member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, called the court decision "a ...

The Permanent Council of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has expressed shock over the proposition of a bill that ...

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 ...

In May, the state Legislature passed a bill requiring clergy to report child abuse, bringing Washington in line with most of the rest of the country after previous efforts to ...

“Priests have been imprisoned, tortured, and even killed for upholding the seal of confession,” the state Catholic conference ...

Washington has abandoned its effort to force Catholic priests and other religious leaders to divulge information on child ...

Rubio Says Hamas-Linked UNRWA Will Not Deliver Gaza Aid Under Cease-Fire Deal Roy Cooper Senate Campaign Relies on Recycled Social Media Photos as Candidate Shuns Spotlight Decades After Leaving ...