Jan 7, 2026 / 14:34 pm (CNA).
A proposed law in Arizona could see priests facing felony charges if they fail to break the seal of confession after learning of child abuse during the sacrament.
The measure, HB 2039, was introduced in December 2025 by state Rep. Anastasia Travers. It is awaiting action in the state House after Travers prefiled it on Dec. 4.
The bill would amend the state code to require priests to report abuse learned during confession if they have “reasonable suspicion to believe that the abuse is ongoing, will continue, or may be a threat to other minors.”
Failure to report a “reportable offense” could lead to class 6 felony charges under the bill. Those charges in Arizona can lead to up to $150,000 in fines and up to two years of imprisonment.
Travers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill and why she proposed it. She previously filed a similar bill in 2023.
Lawmakers in multiple U.S. states in recent years have moved to require priests to violate the seal of confession as part of mandatory reporting laws.
One such law in Washington state suffered a dramatic defeat in July 2025 after a federal court blocked the measure on First Amendment grounds. The rule had drawn rebuke from the U.S. bishops, the White House, Orthodox church leaders, and other advocates. The state backed off the law in October 2025.
Similar measures in Delaware, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Montana have been proposed over the past few years, though none have come to pass. One such law was also proposed in Hungary in October 2025. In 2019, California lawmakers proposed and then backed off of a similar bill.
Priests are bound to never divulge what they hear in confession on pain of excommunication. Multiple priests in Church history have been martyred after they were executed for refusing to break that seal.
Church canon law dictates that it is “absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any manner and for any reason.”
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This is clearly an anti-catholic piece of legislation. Other religions dont have the same process of confession but where is the law saying ANY clergyman would be jailed or fined if he found out such information from a congregant? For that matter how would the govt KNOW a priest wasnt reporting a pedo unless they were sending in non-catholic “ringers” to make a fake confession? Why are they targeting catholic priests in particular? I think their bias/ hate is showing. Its more Orwellian the more you think about it. And what is REALLY bugging this broad who is sponsoring the legislation??
No worthy priest would cooperate with this legislation in any case. Somebody should tell the anti-catholic anastasia to take a hike.
Clergy don’t answer to government first. Clergy answer to God first.
I don’t think pedophiles are confessing – at this point, there are only between 9% – 17% of registered Catholics, on average, even attending Sunday Mass on a regular basis. Of those, 23% make it to confession – and that only once a year. What this bill exposes is the abhorrently tragic reality that confession has been relegated to the dustbin. It’s clearly been replaced by “mercy, mercy, mercy”, i.e. clearly an Unconditional mercy (one NEVER taught by the Catholic Church prior to Faustina). Here’s a relevant link to the current numbers: https://www.bishop-accountability.org/2026/01/is-confession-dead/ Clearly, no one in their right mind won’t concede that the church is in a serious crisis.
This will go nowhere. Government liberals tried to do the same thing in Washington State before it got struck down. It’s a waste of time and money to promulgate this idiotic legislation that is unenforceable (remember that there are screens in the confessional box)
God’s law is above government law.
Any faithful priest who takes the dignity of his ministry and office will not break the seal of confession.
Even if passed, it’s an unenforceable and unconstitutional law, so therefore it ceases to be a law.