Statement on Injunction Protecting the Seal of Confession in Washington State
On July 25, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca L. Pennell entered an Order granting a stipulated preliminary injunction which blocks enforcement of a state law requiring clergy to break the seal of confession in cases involving suspected child abuse. The practical effect of this Order is to prevent Washington State from enforcing or attempting to enforce Senate Bill 5375 against OCA and other Orthodox priests until a final judgment is entered in the case. Absent this Order, Senate Bill 5375 would have gone into effect on July 27, 2025.
The Orthodox Church in America is grateful for the Court’s ruling granting this injunction to protect the confidentiality of the Holy Mystery of Confession in the State of Washington. The injunction affirms what Orthodox Christians hold as inviolable: that the seal of confession cannot be broken.
Orthodox Tradition teaches that the Mystery of Confession is a sacred encounter between Christ and the penitent, and that nothing revealed in confession may be disclosed to others. This teaching is not a legal or administrative policy, but our belief rooted in the Gospel and sustained by the conscience of the Orthodox Church throughout her history.
At the same time, the Orthodox Church in America affirms the Church’s deep and unwavering commitment to the protection of children and the vulnerable. The Mystery of Confession is not a shelter for abuse, but a place of repentance, healing, and accountability before Christ for our sins. We believe these commitments—to the gospel, and to the safeguarding of every human person—are not in conflict with one another. On the contrary, the gospel requires of us the highest standard of care for others, especially children. We receive with utmost seriousness the sober warning of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ that “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6).
The Orthodox Church in America was compelled to file this suit to uphold religious freedom and to ensure that Orthodox priests are not forced to choose between obeying the law and remaining faithful to the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. The Court’s decision recognizes the constitutional protections at stake, and we are thankful for the legal clarity which the Court has provided.