Washington state just took an explosive step in its ongoing crackdown on religious freedom—and this time, the Catholic Church is directly in the crosshairs.

In a sweeping new measure, Senate Bill 5375, Democrats are demanding that priests break the seal of confession and report any abuse-related admissions to law enforcement—even though they specifically exempt doctors, therapists, lawyers, and every other profession with similar privileges.

The bill is already being described as one of the most aggressive attacks on religious liberty in modern U.S. history. Under Catholic canon law, any priest who violates the seal of confession is automatically excommunicated. That means the state is effectively telling clergy: choose between your Church and your freedom.

The Catholic Church, however, isn’t backing down. Dioceses across Washington are vowing that no priest will comply, even if it means prison time. “This isn’t about protecting children,” one bishop said privately. “It’s about targeting the Church.”

The seal of confession isn’t just some outdated ritual—it’s a sacred Catholic sacrament. Without it, Catholics believe their souls are at risk. Confession is where sins are privately disclosed to a priest, and under no circumstances can what is said be repeated.

Ironically, priests are already mandated reporters outside the confessional. If they suspect abuse during any interaction outside that sacrament, they must and do report it. The Church, stung by scandals of the past, has overhauled its practices and works closely with law enforcement.

But Washington Democrats aren’t satisfied. They want a direct assault on the Catholic faith—something they wouldn’t dare do to any other group.

Fox News and even some right-leaning outlets initially misunderstood the story, suggesting that the Church was threatening priests with excommunication. In truth, Church law automatically imposes that penalty—this isn’t optional, it’s baked into the faith.

And while the left frames this as a child safety issue, the bill’s text makes it clear: it applies only to clergy. Lawyers don’t have to report crimes confessed in confidence. Therapists don’t. Doctors don’t. Only priests.

So why is the Church being singled out?

It’s no secret the left has been waging a long campaign to dismantle institutions that encourage independence from the state. Faith-based communities, particularly orthodox and conservative ones, represent a threat to the ever-growing government control the far-left craves. If you rely on faith, family, and Church—you don’t rely on government.

This law is just the latest front in that ideological war.

Fortunately, the Trump administration is already fighting back. In a May 5 statement, the White House made it clear it would challenge the law on First Amendment grounds, calling it a blatant violation of the free exercise of religion. The administration is also assembling a new Religious Liberty Council, with members of the Catholic clergy and constitutional scholars, to push back against state-level attacks on faith.

President Trump’s team has said clearly: if they come after Catholics, they’re coming after all believers.

Trump himself weighed in, noting that “any law that forces Americans to choose between their faith and their freedom is unconstitutional on its face—and we will not allow it.”

As Washington doubles down on this religious test for compliance, expect more legal challenges, more Church-state showdowns, and more outrage from faith leaders who see this for what it is: a political hit job disguised as public safety.

The question now isn’t just whether the Church will resist (it will), but whether Americans of all faiths will recognize that if this can happen to Catholics today, it can happen to them tomorrow.

The battle is just beginning. But the lines are clear—and President Trump’s message to America’s believers is too:

You will not stand alone.