A U.S. court has protected the Orthodox Church's right to the secrecy of confession

A court in Washington State, USA, has issued a landmark ruling in favor of the Orthodox Church in America, permanently prohibiting government agencies from forcing clergy to disclose information obtained during the sacrament of confession. This October 10, 2025 ruling was an important victory in protecting religious freedoms and the right of the faithful to the confidentiality of the sacrament.

According to Evangelist-info, the state had previously passed a law requiring clergy to report certain information received from penitents to the authorities. Failure to comply with this requirement threatened priests with fines and even imprisonment, which created a direct contradiction with Orthodox canon law, where the secrecy of confession is an inviolable vow before God.

In response, the Orthodox Church in America, along with other Orthodox jurisdictions, took the matter to court. The lawsuit argued that the law put clergy in the impossible position of choosing between fulfilling a sacred duty and risking criminal prosecution. The court fully agreed with the plaintiffs’ arguments and issued a ruling protecting clergy from the law as it relates to confession.

The head of the Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Tikhon, commented on the decision, «Priests have a sacred duty to keep the secret of confession without compromise. The court’s decision confirms this duty both legally and in the spiritual consciousness of the Church. We thank God and all those who supported us in this important endeavor.»

Recall, a new sociological study in the United States revealed growing contradictions in the views of Americans on the Bible and the foundations of the Christian faith. According to the results, almost half of the respondents consider the Holy Scripture a collection of myths, not the Word of God. At the same time, a significant proportion of respondents also doubt the divinity of Jesus Christ, although they recognize the Bible as an authoritative guide to life.