When the State Legislature was discussing Senate Bill 5375 , they knew they would be in for a fight. It's why before the bill was passed, they had originally taken out the mandate on Catholic priests having to report abuse admissions made in the Confessional. The majority party decided to put that provision back in before they passed the bill, setting the stage for yet another lawsuit.

The legislature once again sought to compromise a non-negotiable tenent of a particular faith in violation of the First Amendment's protection of religion. In this case it is vow of secrecy that exists inside the Catholic confessional. If the " Seal of the Confessional " is broken, a priest can be excommunicated from the Church.

SB 5375 threatened Catholic priests with 364 days in jail and a

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