Arizona Supreme Court Rules Clergy Not Required to Report Abuse Disclosed in Confession

The Arizona Supreme Court issued a ruling on August 3, 2026, holding that clergy members cannot be compelled to report child abuse disclosed during confession. The case centered on a dispute involving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Arizona's mandatory reporting statute.

The court found that forcing clergy to break the seal of confession would violate constitutional protections for religious practice. The ruling applies to disclosures made within the formal bounds of a religious sacrament, not to general conversations between a pastor and a congregant.

Child safety advocates responded with concern. Several organizations said the decision creates a gap in the state's child protection framework, since clergy are among the adults most likely to hear about abuse from children in their communities.

Church attorneys argued that the confessional seal is a foundational element of religious practice for many traditions. Requiring clergy to report what they hear in confession, they said, would effectively force priests and ministers to choose between their faith and the law.

Arizona joins a number of other states where courts or legislatures have carved out clergy-penitent exemptions from mandatory reporting laws. The debate over these exemptions has intensified in recent years as more states have expanded their lists of mandatory reporters.

The ruling does not affect clergy who learn of abuse outside of a formal confessional setting. Pastors, youth ministers, and other church workers who hear about abuse in ordinary conversation remain subject to mandatory reporting requirements under Arizona law.

Advocacy groups said they plan to push for a legislative fix that would close what they describe as a loophole. Several state lawmakers indicated they would review the ruling before the next legislative session.