The Seal of Confession
June 8, 2025
Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~
I’m not able to write about Fatima this week because of an event that I need to respond to— bummer. The four-part series on Fatima will come out on non-consecutive weeks. Keep reading these pastor’s columns to find them.
As you may know, our Catholic Governor, Robert Ferguson, signed into law a provision that seeks to require priests to violate the Seal of the Confessional in some circumstances. Priests are unable to violate the Seal under any circumstances. Given this troubling development in state law, the bishops of Washington are addressing this matter through litigation. While the details of this case are sensitive and will be handled with care, this action is being taken to protect the mission and integrity of the Church. The Constitutions of the United States and Washington State provide robust protection for our faith, and we are confident in our legal position. Attorneys from the three dioceses of Washington have filed the case, and will keep us informed as appropriate, while respecting the confidentiality required in such matters. I have attached a list of questions and answers from our bishops on the other side of this column. Please read it. Now a word from me about the Seal of Confession.
We all have a real need to repent of our sins by going to Confession regularly. “Repent” or its derivative is used in the Bible over 120 times; Jesus mentions it more than 20 times. It’s the first thing he says when he begins his public ministry (Mt 4:17 & Mk 1:15). It’s a big deal!
Jesus took on flesh, suffered, and died for us so that we might be redeemed from our sins. Without his ultimate sacrifice, we’d all be damned by our sins. Yet redemption is not the same as being saved. Jesus’ Paschal mystery (passion, death, and resurrection) made salvation possible, not guaranteed; and that’s the difference between redemption and salvation. It is inaccurate to say that someone has “been saved” unless they are already in Purgatory or Heaven. Because of free will and its consequences, it is possible to go to hell for our sins even after baptism, even after declaring “Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior” (which has no reference in the Bible). We must work with God’s great mercy to receive mercy’s fruit.
Knowing that our nature is fallen, even after baptism, Christ instituted the Sacrament of Confession for the remission of sins (Jn 20:22-23), and for 2,000 years his priests have been hearing confessions and absolving sins. While most people struggle to humble themselves to do it, like all the sacraments, it is extremely efficacious. So much so, that nearly all the saints went to Confession monthly or even weekly—not because they were great sinners but because the Sacrament helped them to become great saints. Both Pope St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Calcutta went weekly. Pope Francis went every other week. I try to go every week. I’ve come to realize that practically speaking, one doesn’t become a saint without frequent recourse to the sacrament; indeed, growth in the spiritual life has a direct correlation to the use of the Sacrament of Confession over a long period of time. So, while the Church teaches us to go at least once a year, the Church also recommends that we go monthly for our sanctification. Perhaps you can get out your calendar and circle a day of the month, and on that day every month, resolve to go to Confession. If you do so, I promise you’ll make great spiritual progress within one year.
Confessions at Holy Redeemer are on Fridays from 3:30-4:30p,; Saturdays from 2:30-4:15pm; Sundays from 7:45-8:15am and from 10-10:45am.
Confessions at St. Thomas Aquinas are Tuesday from 5-5:45; Saturdays at 9am and from 4-4:45pm.
Confessions at Our Lady Star of the Sea are on Sundays either before the 11am Mass or after, depending on when the priest can arrive.
May Almighty God Bless You,
Father Thomas Nathe
From the Bishops of Washington State
The Sacrament of Confession and Washington law
Question & Answer
Q: What is the new Washington law, and why have the bishops in Washington filed a lawsuit?
A: Washington State recently adopted a law targeting Catholic priests by requiring them to break the seal of the confessional by reporting to civil authorities suspected child abuse and neglect disclosed during the Sacrament of Confession, subject to imprisonment and fines for violation. This law goes into effect July 27, 2025. The bishops have filed a lawsuit because the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
Q: What is the seal of the confessional, and why is it important?
A: The seal of the confessional is the absolute obligation of a priest to maintain complete confidentiality regarding anything revealed during the Sacrament of Confession. This obligation, rooted in divine law and centuries of Catholic tradition, allows penitents to seek forgiveness and spiritual guidance in an atmosphere of trust and mercy. Canon law explicitly states that “the sacramental seal is inviolable” and that a priest who violates it faces automatic excommunication. The seal protects the sacred encounter between the penitent and God, mediated by the priest, as instituted by Christ. Throughout history, priests have been martyred rather than violate this sacred duty.
Q: Why can’t priests comply with the law and report certain confessions?
A: The seal of the confessional is a divine mandate, not a human rule. Priests are bound to uphold the seal, even at personal cost, as a matter of fidelity to their sacred duty. Breaking it
would betray the penitent’s trust and violate the sanctity of the sacrament, which is a means of grace and reconciliation. The Church holds that forcing priests to report confessions undermines the freedom to practice faith and could deter penitents from seeking forgiveness, harming their spiritual lives, which must be seen in the view of eternity.
Q: Doesn’t this law aim to protect people, like victims of abuse?
A: The intention to protect individuals, most especially children, is praiseworthy, but the law’s targeting of the priest-penitent relationship in the confessional is misguided. The Church has robust measures to address abuse, including mandatory reporting by clergy in non- confessional settings and cooperation with civil authorities where the seal is not involved. In fact, each diocese in Washington has safe environment and mandatory reporting policies that go beyond what is required in state law. The confessional is a unique, sacred space where penitents seek God’s mercy. Compelling Catholic priests to breach its confidentiality does not guarantee better outcomes but risks deterring penitents from seeking reconciliation, which could prevent voluntary disclosures outside the sacrament that lead to justice and healing.
Q: How does this law violate religious freedom?
A: The law violates religious liberty by compelling priests to act against a core Catholic doctrine, forcing the Church to conform to state demands over divine law. It seeks to make the Sacrament of Confession an instrument of the state rather than a place of encounter with God’s mercy. The First Amendment protects the free exercise of religion, which includes the Church’s right to uphold its sacraments without the government seeking to redefine aspects of those sacraments. The Church’s mission to offer forgiveness through the sacraments is rooted in Christ’s command, and courts have historically recognized confessional privilege as essential to religious practice. The law also specifically targets the priest-penitent relationship while permitting other recognized, secular privileges to remain, such as the attorney-client privilege, some counselor privileges, and spousal privilege.
Q: What are the bishops hoping to achieve with this lawsuit?
A: The bishops seek to have the offending provisions of the law declared unconstitutional, ensuring priests can remain faithful to their sacred duty of upholding the seal of the confessional, and the mediation of God’s mercy to the penitent, without legal penalty. The lawsuit aims to protect the Church’s right to practice its faith freely and safeguard the confidentiality that encourages penitents to seek reconciliation. A favorable ruling would affirm religious freedom and preserve the integrity of the Sacrament of Confession for all Catholics.
Additional Resources
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1440 – 1470.
Code of Canon Law, c. 983, 1386.
Note of the Apostolic Penitentiary on the Importance of the Internal Forum and the
Inviolability of the Sacramental Seal (Approved by Pope Francis, June 21, 2019). https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/documents/rc_trib_appen_pro_20190629_forointerno_en.html
