Opinion ID: 2180320
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Activity Burdened is Motivated by a Sincerely Held Religious Belief

Text: [¶ 58] As previously discussed, the Diocese has failed to identify a specific religious activity that will be burdened, as required by the first step of the Blount analysis. In contrast, in Swanson we specifically determined that the imposition of liability for negligent supervision against the Diocese would infringe upon [the Diocese's] right to determine the standards governing the relationship between the church, its bishop, and the parish priest. 1997 ME 63, ¶ 12, 692 A.2d at 445. This determination pertained to the specific religious undertakings of pastoral counseling by a bishop with a parish priest. Id. ¶ 2, 692 A.2d at 442. Pastoral counseling is a widely recognized religious practice, as indicated by the fact that the Maine Rules of Evidence establish an evidentiary privilege for confidential communications between members of the clergy and the persons who confer with them. [15] M.R. Evid. 505. [¶ 59] The evidentiary privilege extends to confidential communications between members of the clergy if one is acting as a spiritual adviser to the other. M.R. Evid. 505(b). The Bishop's constitutionally protected role as a spiritual adviser to a priest accused of wrongdoing was recognized in Swanson when we stated that [b]eliefs in penance, admonition and reconciliation as a sacramental response to sin may be the point of attack by a challenger who wants a court to probe the tort-law reasonableness of the church's mercy toward the offender. 1997 ME 63, ¶ 12, 692 A.2d at 445 (quotation marks and citations omitted). Consequently, we rejected the import[ation of] agency principles wholesale into church governance and [the imposition of] liability for any deviation from the secular standard. Id. [¶ 60] Thus, the free exercise issue in Swanson was not an abstraction. Rather, it pertained to the specific sacraments of pastoral counseling between the priest and his bishop and constitutionally protected beliefs governing ecclesiastical relationships between clergy members. Id. [¶ 61] In contrast with Swanson, Fortin's claim makes no mention of facts that establish that the court will be required to delve into doctrinal matters or confidential communications in order to evaluate whether the Diocese breached a duty of due care. Fortin specifically claims that Bishop Gerry became aware of Melville's propensity to sexually abuse boys from a nonconfidential source, not in his role as a spiritual adviser to Melville or other priests. Viewed in a light most favorable to Fortin, his complaint does not implicate the sacrament of penance or pastoral counseling, nor does it raise the specter of import[ing] agency principles wholesale into church governance as in Swanson. 1997 ME 63, ¶ 12, 692 A.2d at 445.