Can I sit in on my daughter's confession?

[Trellot]

My eight-year-old daughter went through reconciliation in faith formation last year. However, the other day she and I spent some time in adoration during one of the hours of reconciliation and she asked me why everyone was standing around. When I told her what they were doing she said she wanted to go too! Well, the trouble with this is that her mother is Mormon and does not feel comfortable having her in the confessional alone. Is it possible that I might be able to go with her? If this is possible, is there some sort of etiquette I need to follow to inform the confessor about our both being present?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

There are several issues here:

• If your daughter has made her first confession, she should be taken to confession on a regular basis (e.g., once per month). You, as the Catholic parent in your family, are responsible for making certain she has opportunity to go; she should not have had to ask you a year later for permission.
• Your daughter’s non-Catholic mother evidently has agreed to your daughter being raised Catholic. That means she should not be putting obstacles in the way of your daughter’s faith formation. If she has concerns about your daughter’s safety, then you and she should discuss those concerns with the pastor or with your diocese’s office for child safety. She should not be handling those concerns by forbidding your daughter to approach the sacrament of confession, and you should not be supporting her in doing so.
• No, you cannot go into the confessional with your daughter. The seal of confession is absolute, and your listening to your daughter’s confession would violate it. If there have been instances of the abuse of children in your diocese, you have the right to ask your diocese to take steps to restore trust and to protect children, but those steps cannot include the undermining of the sacramental seal.