Confession on the Phone?

[youngsaint]

I’m about to have a confession on the phone for the first time, because I won’t be able to make it to church on Saturday.

Is a phone confession acceptable? or do I have to go to church?

 

[Corki]

For Sacramental absolution, it must be “in-person”. So, theoretically, you can confess over the phone but can’t be absolved and it’s not Sacramental.

 

[youngsaint]

For Sacramental absolution, it must be “in-person”. So, theoretically, you can confess over the phone but can’t be absolved and it’s not Sacramental.

Say I have a mortal sin on my soul…

 

[Corki]

Say I have a mortal sin on my soul…

If you can’t make the regular time for Confession at your parish, call your priest and ask him to hear your confession at another time. Regular confession times are for convenience, they aren’t the only option. Many priests routinely hear confessions before or after daily Mass if tiime allows. Or you can make an appointment.

 

[jmcrae]

I’m about to have a confession on the phone for the first time, because I won’t be able to make it to church on Saturday.

You are actually about to, or you are about to phone up a priest and spring this idea on him?

Is a phone confession acceptable? or do I have to go to church?

Confessions must be heard in person.

Say I have a mortal sin on my soul…

All the more reason to do it in person. Say your enemy is tapping your phone, or is in the room with the priest when he answers the phone and starts giving you advice? Or say your Mom walks in on you while you are still talking on the phone? Doing it in person is the only way to assure your privacy.

PS: For the love of all that is holy, do not leave your Confession as a message on the priest’s answering machine - his secretary answers his phone and checks his messages, usually in front of a room full of people who are waiting to get her attention.

 

[Teneas]

There is no absolution from it, but I still do it with my old spiritual director. I have yet to find a good one since he left. I do however still confess to him on the phone, and he does say it’s a form of confession.

So, obviously I was the one that voted.

 

[youngsaint]

Ok, I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to go on Saturday.

 

[jmcrae]

Ok, I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to go on Saturday.

Smart man!

 

[puzzleannie]

I’m about to have a confession on the phone for the first time, because I won’t be able to make it to church on Saturday.

Is a phone confession acceptable? or do I have to go to church?

not with a Catholic priest you are not, and not as a sacrament of the Catholic Church. not allowed. Confession in person to a priest is a requirement. won’t look at the poll because my opinion or anyone else’s is immaterial

 

[twopekinguys]

Can I ask how long you have been Catholic?

If you are a relatively new Catholic, and went through RCIA, the process of reconcilliation should have been clearly explained to you. If not, they dropped the ball big time.

If you are a cradle Catholic, you should have learned this through religous ed, or through CCD.

Where did you get the notion that confession could be done over the phone?

BTW, your poll is flawed. Reconcilliation/confession does not have to be “face to face”. You can still go behind the screen in most parishes.

 

[VeronicaAnne]

Um… I hate to tell ya…yet, I must.

You can confess a sin all you like on the phone, but whatever confession you’re giving over the phone is not… cannot… and will never be the Sacrament of Reconciliation (a.k.a., the Sacrament of Confession).

P.S. I was a friend’s sponsor in RCIA a few years ago. In that particular parish’s RCIA program, there was only a brief mention that this is a Sacrament. I was appalled at that, but… there it was.

The supposition was that the enquirers’ own sponsors would cover that material with their person who was enquiring about joining the Catholic Church.

After all, as a sponsor you, yourself, are already a baptized and confirmed adult Catholic. In good standing, I must add. That means that you, yourself, as a sponsor have been to Confession more than once. And know all the necessary things to teach someone else about that Sacrament.

As an RCIA sponsor, it’s your role to fill in the holes for information that your person needs to know that aren’t yet covered in the RCIA program meetings.

For my friend, it took many personal sessions with her… here and there… to cover all the information. Some of it didn’t make sense to her (my bad in how clearly I presented the info, I’m sure). Parts made complete sense to her.

I told her… off hand… just guessing that she might be wondering but not asking me… that it’s just plain not possible to “go to Confession over the phone.” She was aghast that anybody, at all, would think that it even could be!

 

[VeronicaAnne]

BTW, your poll is flawed. Reconcilliation/confession does not have to be “face to face”. You can still go behind the screen in most parishes.

Just a side comment from me… some people use the term “face to face” when speaking about giving their Confession behind a screen.

Just thought I’d clear that bit up… if I could…

 

[ahollars]

One other point: If you are truly unable to make it, then the priest is obligated to make some kind of provision for you. Confession does not have to be inside the confessional. It can be anywhere as long as the priest and the penitent are alone where no one else can hear. A really good priest will come to your house if he has the means, but those are extraordinary circumstances. You never know until you ask.

 

[twopekinguys]

Just a side comment from me… some people use the term “face to face” when speaking about giving their Confession behind a screen.

Just thought I’d clear that bit up… if I could…

See, in our area, we make the distinction between the two.

That is what I was trying to clear up.

 

[Kantaram88]

I’m about to have a confession on the phone for the first time, because I won’t be able to make it to church on Saturday.

Is a phone confession acceptable? or do I have to go to church?

With so many satellite television programs, one of them is EWTN, which celebrates the complete mass on the TV, so what is the point in going to Church for Mass, when it can be done in our own bedroom??

I hope you understand.

God Bless.

 

[VeronicaAnne]

With so many satellite television programs, one of them is EWTN, which celebrates the complete mass on the TV, so what is the point in going to Church for Mass, when it can be done in our own bedroom??

I hope you understand.

God Bless.

You are not going to Mass unless you’re at the physical church… with the physical priest… with the bread and wine that are transubstantiated into His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity… in your presence.

Watching the Mass on TV is not going to Mass. It’s watching the Mass.

While we’re on the subject, when a priest is giving a blessing to people who are watching him give it on TV, it’s only during the actual live moments that he’s giving the blessing is the blessing actually given. But that’s only if the priest is intending for his blessing to go to the viewing audience. If you’re watching a show that’s on rerun, and the priest on the program is blessing people, he is not blessing YOU because it’s not live.

Same thing with the Pope whenever he’s giving a blessing to people who are watching on TV or listening on radio. I’ve heard him on EWTN … live … giving his Papal blessing to the throng in St. Peter’s Square… and blessing items that people had brought to be blessed by him… and he says straight out that he intends that his Papal blessing is for whatever items people are holding in their own location, wherever they are, as they are watching him on TV right then. That’s how I’ve gotten all my statues of Our Lady blessed by B16. I was standing right there in my living room, holding those statues. And yes, I made sure that I was watching him during the live broadcast.

If it’s live, you’re getting the blessing. If it’s a rerun, you’re not.

 

[puzzleannie]

With so many satellite television programs, one of them is EWTN, which celebrates the complete mass on the TV, so what is the point in going to Church for Mass, when it can be done in our own bedroom??

I hope you understand.

God Bless.

no you do not attend Mass by watching it on TV, any more than you attend a football game that way. you watch it, often pre-recorded. you do not participate in any of the action, you can cheer, but the team won’t hear you as they would if you were in the stands. You can pray, but you are not joining your prayers with the priest and congregation in the way Christ demanded when he established Mass as the means by which we are to worship by participating in his sacrifice. Watching Mass on TV does not meet your obligation. It can be beneficial for many, but you are not participating at Mass.

since I see we are already off topic may I also suggest we discuss Catholic sacraments on that forum and reserve this forum for discussing practices of non-Catholic religions. since all questions posed have been answered often on the proper forum it is really preventing people from getting a good anser to continue the discussion here.

 

[Kantaram88]

no you do not attend Mass by watching it on TV, any more than you attend a football game that way. you watch it, often pre-recorded. you do not participate in any of the action, you can cheer, but the team won’t hear you as they would if you were in the stands. You can pray, but you are not joining your prayers with the priest and congregation in the way Christ demanded when he established Mass as the means by which we are to worship by participating in his sacrifice. Watching Mass on TV does not meet your obligation. It can be beneficial for many, but you are not participating at Mass.

since I see we are already off topic may I also suggest we discuss Catholic sacraments on that forum and reserve this forum for discussing practices of non-Catholic religions. since all questions posed have been answered often on the proper forum it is really preventing people from getting a good anser to continue the discussion here.

My apologies for going out of topic, but i did not intend on doing it. If you see the OP question

I’m about to have a confession on the phone for the first time, because I won’t be able to make it to church on Saturday.

Is a phone confession acceptable? or do I have to go to church?

Hence I framed my words meaning that confession on telephone is no confession at all and attending mass on TV is not attending at all.

God Bless

 

[A_Lion_Of_Islam]

Why do you confess to a human being? God created you in the same way as he created all other human beings, so why not confess to God directly… I am sure if he is able to create you in the perfect manner, then ONLY he can forgive you as well…

 

[crazzeto]

Why do you confess to a human being? God created you in the same way as he created all other human beings, so why not confess to God directly… I am sure if he is able to create you in the perfect manner, then ONLY he can forgive you as well…

First of all, when this sacrament is done it’s In the person of Christ. Secondly, because the Sacrament of Reconciliation is conformed to the direct teachings of God, as found in the Holy Bible.