Holy Secrets — Unholy Harm

So much for the separation of church and state. So much for protecting children.

There is a sickness at the root of this nation’s so-called morals— a rot hidden behind pulpits and courtrooms, draped in crosses and legal codes. It’s called clergy-penitent privilege, and in 33 states across the U.S., it allows religious leaders to withhold reporting child sexual abuse if the abuser confesses during a religious exchange.

Let that sink in.

A child can cry out.
A parent can beg for justice.
But if the abuser whispered it in confession, the church can stay silent — and legally, they don’t have to do a damn thing.

This isn’t about God.
It’s about control.
It’s about power.
And it’s about institutional betrayal.

The Arizona Case That Made It Loud

In April 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld this horrifying loophole. A man confessed to sexually abusing his daughters — multiple times. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knew. They said nothing. And the abuse continued. Why? Because it was “confession.” Because “church law” superseded the rights and safety of actual children.

Arizona is not an outlier. It’s part of a dangerous majority.

You Can’t Be Pro-Life and Pro-Silence

These are the same lawmakers, same courts, and same church lobbies fighting to force a child to give birth after rape, while defending a system that protects rapists if they’re religious enough to confess.

The hypocrisy is obscene.

You can’t be “pro-life” and protect predators.
You can’t claim to value children while shielding the individuals who destroy their lives.

You can’t push forced birth while turning your back on born children suffering in silence, ignored by the same moral majority that claims to speak for God.

You are not pro-life.
You are pro-institution.
Pro-patriarchy.
Pro-predator.

If this system protects abusers in pews instead of children in pain, then this system is unholy and must be undone.

End clergy privilege in all 50 states. No exceptions. If a child is being harmed, every adult — priest, pastor, rabbi, or otherwise — should be mandated to report it.

A Call to the “Moral Majority”

If your religion requires silence in the face of child rape,
your religion is broken.

If your laws privilege spiritual confession over child safety,
your laws are violent.

If your politics protect fetuses but fail living children,
your movement is a lie.

Protecting children is sacred.
Breaking the silence is the holy work.

April 16, 2025

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