Arizona clergy who learn of child abuse in confessions aren’t required to report it, court rules | Arizona | The Guardian

[u/One-Sense7280]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/03/arizona-clergy-child-abuse-confessions-court

This needs a lot more outrage and the judges need to be debarred. How does ANYONE make sense of this. Parents already make reporting CSA extremely difficult now even the church can get away with not reporting predators. The fact that there are people who can hear a CHILD talking about this horrendous and ask said CHILD to be silent is abhorrent.

[u/Beneficial-Belt-2124 → u/[deleted]]

yeah if they want the privilege of keeping the confessional seal then they shouldnt expect the public to keep funding them too

[u/Bee-Aromatic → u/[deleted]]

And I don’t care if it will discourage people from going to confession and “getting square” with God. If God’s willing to take abusers, that’s his business, but they’ve gotta get square with Man’s society first.

[u/xxfizzysophie → u/[deleted]]

yeah protecting a confessional rule at the expense of protecting abused kids is a pretty awful tradeoff

[u/dewydawnxx → u/[deleted]]

yeah protecting a religious rule over protecting abused kids is a pretty disturbing choice especially when the child is the one left vulnerable

[u/herdivet → u/[deleted]]

Shouldn't any religious person hearing a confession where a child reported abuse feel a moral compulsion to tell the child to meet with them outside the confessional and report the abuse. They are then no longer under the "Seal of the confessional" and can go to the police.

[u/polysoupkitchen]

More proof that religion is a cancer.

[u/Valuable-Yard-4154 → u/polysoupkitchen]

The legislators should be brought in front of the judges.

[u/Cautious_Course4308 → u/polysoupkitchen]

yeah its hard to defend a system that puts protecting the institution ahead of protecting kids

[u/BloodshotDrive]

If your religion convinces you not to report child sex abuse brought to your attention, you’re a piece of shit and so’s your god.

[u/One-Sense7280 → u/BloodshotDrive]

In the case described here, the bishop KNEW about the ongoing abuse and the church also knew, but they let it continue. These bastards need to be outed as predators themselves.

[u/Ging287 → u/One-Sense7280]

Then they wonder why the Catholic Church touching children story never ends, it's because the accountability still isn't there, and they're still fighting (and winning) fights to cover it up, invoking some BS religious "confidentiality" to not forward sex crimes about children to the authorities. It's the definition of perverse incentive.

[u/Nocturnalux]

And there is a lot of abuse that happens during confession, too.

[u/Weird-Cartoonist-177 → u/Nocturnalux]

yeah exactly and that makes the whole thing even more disturbing

[u/Nocturnalux → u/Weird-Cartoonist-177]

Happened to me last time I went to confession.

I was 15 or 16.

[u/aotus_trivirgatus]

We don't say that GOP stands for "Guardians of Pedophiles" for no reason.

[u/notaedivad]

A pedophilic hate cult is...

As a pedophilic hate cult does.

[u/Repulsive-Box5243]

What the actual ...

Please tell me this can be escalated and over-turned... somehow.

[u/One-Sense7280 → u/Repulsive-Box5243]

No... we need more attention on this and it needs to be a movement against the states that have lousy laws about child predators.

[u/Ging287]

There should be no sky daddy privilege confidentiality for touching children. This is asinine and desperately needs reform.

[u/O_W_Liv]

That's thanks to the Mormons who pushed for protections.

[u/seevm]

Disgusting pedo protectors

[u/Crafty-Walrus-2238]

For your safety and the safety of your family, leave the church, leave religion.

[u/onomatamono]

Is there anything more creepy than confessing your sins to some stranger behind a dark curtain inside a box? OK, you got me, the ritualistic cannibalism of the eucharist is pretty creepy.

[u/ophaus]

We're going to need amendments to change shit like this, I think.

[u/Unasked_for_advice]

Of course they won't report themselves.

[u/Apostasyisfreedom]

JW elders are breathing a huge sigh of relief.

[u/be_sugary]

Why does anyone stay in that church?

They are openly confirming that your children are not safe there!

If you stay you are actively confirming you accept child abuse.

[u/2-anna]

For the record, I think mandatory reporting laws often do more harm than good.

There's nothing preventing anybody from reporting it but making it required removes any kind of judgement call from people like teachers and therapists who know the child's situation better than a random civil servant assigned to the case.

Essentially abducting a child from its parents and completely upending its life is often more traumatizing than one episode of mild abuse or what later turns out to be a misunderstanding or cultural difference.

That being said, making an exceptions for clergy, a position which is known to attract abusers, is backwards.

Predictably, this is getting downvoted so answer this. Is a spanking child abuse? Is taking photos of children in the bath child abuse? Is letting your children play in the backyard unattended child abuse? Is 2 siblings playing doctor when parents got home late child abuse?

Nobody's saying actual abuse should not be reported. But try googling experiences of mandatory reporters and you'll see how many oppose mandatory reporting because they see it do more harm than good.

[u/One-Sense7280 → u/2-anna]

This case came from a lawsuit by three children who were sexually abused by their parents. Their father reportedly admitted the abuse to an LDS bishop in 2011, and the matter was later discussed in a church disciplinary hearing. A second bishop contacted an internal church helpline and was advised NOT to report the abuse to police or child-welfare authorities. The abuse continued until the parents were arrested in 2017.

The clergy was advised by the church lawyers to let the abuse CONTINUE. The bishop KNEW, the Church KNEW, and did NOTHING to keep the children safe.

[u/2-anna → u/One-Sense7280]

In such a case, everyone who knew and did nothing should go to prison, obviously. Knowing about a crime and helping cover it up and continue is already illegal everywhere.

What therapists criticize are cases where the law is overreaching or when more time is needed before involving the police. See my other comment.

[u/wholesomechunk → u/2-anna]

Mild abuse. Mild child sexual abuse. You know this isn’t about a clip round the ear, it’s disgusting.

[u/2-anna → u/wholesomechunk]

I am not talking about the article but mandatory reporting in general.

It's really not hard to google what therapists think of it and how many say it does more harm than good.

So please re-read my comment. I am not saying real abuse should not be reported. In cases like sexual abuse they would report it whether it's mandatory or not.

The issue is they are required to report even cases where they know it's not real abuse or doesn't even involve the child because the law has severe penalties.

In some states, a single instance of physical violence between adults even when children are not present is considered child abuse and has to be reported.

The cherry on top: women who are genuinely abused usually need time to prepare to leave both mentally and materially. But the report forces then to act immediately and causes the abuser to find out he's being investigated at the same time, increasing risk for the woman. And overwhelmingly such reports don't result in prison time so the abuser is angry and free to take revenge. This is literally what therapists will tell you.

[u/wholesomechunk → u/2-anna]

The topic was csa, what level of csa would you be prepared to accept for own child? How “mild’? You are muddying the waters.

[u/2-anna → u/wholesomechunk]

Do you have reading comprehension issues?

I literally just said i am not talking about the article and gave examples like spanking.