OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing the state of Washington over its new law requiring priests to report suspected child abuse.

The DOJ said in Monday’s suit that the law violates freedom of religion by forcing Catholic priests to break the confidentiality seal of confession.

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed SB 5375 into law in May, and it will take effect on July 27.

Under this law, clergy could face misdemeanor charges if they don’t report a potential case of child abuse or neglect.

The department claims that breaking confession would subject priests to immediate excommunication from the Catholic Church.

“Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Senate Bill 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges. The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion.” 

Supporters of the law argue it closes a loophole that allowed abuse to go unreported and unpunished.