Catholics across Washington State are under attack. Governor Bob Ferguson has supported legislation that forces Catholic priests to violate one of the most sacred parts of our faith—the seal of confession. This is not just a policy disagreement; it is a direct assault on religious conscience. Priests are being told to choose between obeying God or obeying the government. This law criminalizes a holy sacrament and targets people of faith for practicing their religion.

What’s at stake is nothing less than the right to worship freely. If this law is allowed to stand, the government will have crossed a line that was once unthinkable—forcing clergy to betray the trust of their congregants and break sacred vows. If the state can interfere with confession, no religious practice is safe. Every faith tradition should be alarmed by this dangerous overreach. Today it’s Catholics—tomorrow it could be any one of us.

This law takes effect July 27, 2025. If we don’t act now, Washington will become the first state in the nation to shred religious freedom in this way. Governor Ferguson has made it clear that he will not back down. So we must rise up. People of faith—Catholic or not—must recognize the danger of allowing government to dictate religious practice. Today it’s the confessional seal under attack; tomorrow it could be any belief, any tradition, any house of worship. We must recall Governor Ferguson and send a message: religious freedom is not negotiable. We will not allow this door to government tyranny to stay open.