Arizona Supreme Court Upholds Clergy Confidentiality in Abuse Confessions

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled unanimously that clergy are not required to report sexual‑abuse disclosures made during confessional communications. The decision arose from a lawsuit involving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints, whose bishops learned in 2011 that Paul Adams was abusing his seven‑year‑old daughter. The court held that such communications fall under the church’s confidential religious process, sending the case back to lower courts and overturning a prior appellate ruling.

Arizona’s mandatory‑reporting law obliges anyone who reasonably believes a minor is being abused to report it, but it exempts clergy who deem disclosure unnecessary for religious reasons. Advocacy groups warned the ruling could allow predators to evade justice. State legislators have repeatedly attempted to modify the clergy‑penitent privilege. Rep. Quang Nguyen, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said he will continue blocking bills that would require clergy to disclose confessional information, while Rep. Stacey Travers is seeking an exception for ongoing child‑abuse confessions. Nguyen emphasized his personal Catholic belief in protecting the sacrament of confession.