Confession if someone is mute?

[mythbuster1]

Indeed they could. Furthermore, such protocols are licit even if the penitent is physically capable of speech. There have been cases where priests told penitents to write their sins down because disconsolate sobbing was rendering them incoherent. Likewise, a friend of mine presented a written confession to a priest who did not speak any language my friend spoke, but was able to understand via a translation app.

 

[jrgmercado]

I guess it never really crossed my mind. I’ve served as a translator, for family and for work, but never for a confession.

 

[Minks]

@babochka… I was astonished to read that the Act of Contrition is not required during Confession. It was presented as an absolute back in the 40s when I first received the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion, and I found nothing to the contrary when I just now Googled. Will you please explain that more for us?

Although I’ve read the Forum since ‘08, I was never able to get signed up after the move to this format, until yesterday. I’m not electronics savvy and am trying to learn how to tag the name of the person to whom I’m responding. If it doesn’t work, please forgive me. Mea culpa!

 

[InThePew]

A deaf person using sign language or an interpreter would have to be seen by either the interpreter or the priest. I imagine in the case of a mute person, confession behind a screen would be next to impossible and the person would have to make some concession to the reality of the disability in order to confess.

I wonder if one of our priests would chime in with some insight. @edward_george1; @InThePew

IMHO the reference to an interpreter in Canon Law is a bit optimistic - I can’t really imagine anyone wanting to bring an interpreter along for the ride when they go to confession! As far as an act of contrition is concerned, this can be handled by the priest simply asking the person if they’re sorry for all their sins and want to try, with the Lord’s help, to not sin again. I’ve had them say their act of contrition in another language and I just give them absolution after we’ve muddled through in one way or another. Granted, deliberately going to a priest who doesn’t speak your language is cheating but some people simply don’t have a real choice for a whole raft of reasons.Although, like a mute person, they might be able to write out their sins in a very basic way a written list obviously carries with it problems around confidentiality. I’ve also heard of priests using the 10 commandments for those with limited language ability and just getting them to point to the relevant numbers and indicate the number of times. At the end of the day it’s God who forgives sins and not be so there are some things I just leave to him to sort.

 

[babochka]

@babochka… I was astonished to read that the Act of Contrition is not required during Confession. It was presented as an absolute back in the 40s when I first received the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion, and I found nothing to the contrary when I just now Googled. Will you please explain that more for us?

Although I’ve read the Forum since ‘08, I was never able to get signed up after the move to this format, until yesterday. I’m not electronics savvy and am trying to learn how to tag the name of the person to whom I’m responding. If it doesn’t work, please forgive me. Mea culpa!

I’m sorry it took so for me to reply.

Contrition is an absolute requirement for Confession. An Act of Contrition is, in the Latin Rite, generally the way such contrition is made known to the priest.

Fr. Z deals with the subject in this post:

ASK FATHER: In confession, instead of Act of Contrition, Father asked questions | Fr. Z's Blog

wdtprs.com

 

[HeDa]

I think every diocese should have a list with which languages the priests speak. And it is a good idea to send the list to parishes as well. I have been asked several times, if I know, if there is a priest who speaks X, Y or Z languages. Sometimes I have been able to help by sending the person to the priest asking for Father A, B or C´s contact details. I have seen messages from the diocese that “yearly confession” is spread out from the beginning of Lent until the Easter season ends so that everyone will have the possibility to confess in a language they speak.