Sponsor pulls California bill attacking clergy

The sponsor of a California bill that threatened the confidentiality of communications between members of the clergy and penitents abruptly pulled the plan from consideration.

The Pacific Justice Institute explained the danger posed by the bill, S.B. 360 from California Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

It "would have required clergy to report certain confessions to the government," Pacific Justice explained.

"The bill would have further restricted ministers by excluding clergy penitential communications from long established legal protections including 'spiritual direction' and 'religious counseling.'"

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"This proposed law could not be reconciled with the First Amendment," said PJI attorney Kevin Snider. "SB 360 was an attempt to sweep away centuries of clergy-penitent protections, forcing clergy members to choose between criminal prosecution or spiritual peril."

Brad Dacus, president of PJI, commented: "We are immensely relieved that this misguided legislation has been shelved this year. We commend our legislators who recognized that this bill is harmful and raises grave constitutional problems for clergy protecting the confessions and confidences entrusted to them."

The proposal already had been approved by the Senate, 30-4.

But members of the Assembly's Public Safety Committee argued it violated the First Amendment, and in a surprising reversal, Hill pulled the plan from consideration.

The California Catholic Conference said in a statement the withdrawal of the bill "follows the delivery of tens of thousands of letters, emails and phone calls from Catholics and others concerned with the free expression of religion."

The bill, the National Catholic Register reported, was developed to require priests and others to "alert local law enforcement about any knowledge or suspicion of child abuse received while hearing the confession of another priest or colleague," the report said.

Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles said in the report, "If any legislature can force believers to reveal their innermost thoughts and feelings shared with God in confession, then truly there is no area of human life that is free or safe from government intrusion."

Hill, in a statement, said he still supports his plan but recognized he didn't have enough support in the Assembly.

He described the bill as being "on pause."

In a commentary in the Washington Examiner, Ryan Everson said Hill's move was "a bit of a shock."

He said Hill and the California Democrats may not have withdrawn the bill "for the best reasons, but regardless, it's a win that California Catholics and all advocates of religious freedom should celebrate."