Confessional screen - anonymity?

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AJV

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People say that confession behind a screen ensures anonymity. My experience has been limited - only 4 different confessionals - but in each case (save one, where there was a purple cloth) the priest could see the penitent’s (my) face, through the screen if he so chose. It was only *slightly *obscured, but not enough so as to ensure anonymity - unless, of course, he looked down or straight ahead which two of the priests did.

Has anyone been to confession behind a screen where the screen was latticed enough to prevent recognition by a priest?
 
AJV said:
Has anyone been to confession behind a screen where the screen was latticed enough to prevent recognition by a priest?
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👋

The church where I grew up had screens formed by a corrugated, perforated, frosted plastic panel – It was translucent, but not transparent.

My current parish, when they renovated the traditional confessionals to allow face to face reconciliation, replaced the screen with an opaque curtain that may drawn aside.

But I am not sure the fixed grill of a confessional was instituted for the sake of penitent anonymity?

:twocents:
tee
 
Most of the Confessionals I’ve been in have either thick fabric cloth over the opening, or translucent glass. I’ve only seen one with the lattice thingy; the priest kept the lights off, in that particular case.
 
tee_eff_em said:
But I am not sure the fixed grill of a confessional was instituted for the sake of penitent anonymity?

:twocents:
tee
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I don’t think so either but that’s the reason I’m often told people confess behind a screen. 🤷
 
Oh yes!!! The parish we went to last weekend (a very conservative parish I might add) has just completely re-built their Church. The confessional rooms are fairly large singular rooms with either a chair in front of the priest, or a kneeler with a VERY flimsy “screen” between you and the priest to his side. The screen has a couple thicknesses of black fabric that you can see very clearly right through. The priest sits facing forward, with his ear toward the screen, but all he has to do is glance to his left and he can see exactly who is at the kneeler. I can see him with no problems, I’m sure it works both ways, the lighting is the same on both sides.

For such a nicely re-built Church, I’m really very disappointed about the confession set up there - the old design had traditional confessionals where you were in separate compartments with the wall between you, and only the kneeler, and a truly transparent screen. I guess they are trying to be more ADA accessible, as well as offering the face to face option which was no possible with the old style confessionals. Oh - and the doors also have a small clear glass panel in them as well so you can see inside. It’s all a bit weird to me.

Still - they really need to fix the whole transparent screen thing - it really is very unnerving.

~Liza
 
We have a folding screen with slats and a kneeler; I cannot see the priest’s face as the slats point downward hence I can only see his lap, I imagine it is the same for him with all he is able to see might be my hands if that. It is a room probably the size of a large walk-in closet with a chair in front of the priest for those who wish face to face confession. In our other parish it is another folding slatted screen; but the slats are on the bottom and there is orange swirly (best I can describe it) glass on the top (looks like from the 70’s) You can’t see anything.
 
AJV said:
People say that confession behind a screen ensures anonymity. My experience has been limited - only 4 different confessionals - but in each case (save one, where there was a purple cloth) the priest could see the penitent’s (my) face, through the screen if he so chose. It was only *slightly *obscured, but not enough so as to ensure anonymity - unless, of course, he looked down or straight ahead which two of the priests did.

Has anyone been to confession behind a screen where the screen was latticed enough to prevent recognition by a priest?
Click to expand...
Mine is in an open room. It has no screen but you can chose to kneel behind the wooden wall.
 
lizaanne said:
Oh - and the doors also have a small clear glass panel in them as well so you can see inside. It’s all a bit weird to me.
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You should see the free-standing confessionals in Europe!

tee
 
ElizabethPH said:
We have a folding screen with slats and a kneeler; I cannot see the priest’s face as the slats point downward hence I can only see his lap, I imagine it is the same for him with all he is able to see might be my hands if that.
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If the slats point downward toward him, then he can probably only see upward toward you - probably the ceiling of your section.
 
The confessional in my church is a room with two chairs facing each other and a carpet hanging from a frame between the Priest and penitent. One former parish Priest had removed the thick carpet and hung up a see through net curtain.

But the Church that I go to for confession has a tiny room and a kneeler with a small window that is fitted with a metal grill with tiny holes and on the Priest’s side it is covered with a thick curtain that is never pulled back.
 
Not being able to see each other alows anonymity only when the priest and the penitent do not know each other.

After all, we must speak to each other - the penitent to confess and the priest to give advice and to absolve. If you go to confession regularly to the same priest, you are bound to get to know his voice and he yours. If you also know each other outside the confessional, well - it’s clear that if you recognize him by his voice, he will also recognize you by yours.

To me, rather than anonymity, the confession screen allows you to confess without having to see or look at the priest’s face and it is easier - specially when the confession contains serious sins.
 
AJV said:
Has anyone been to confession behind a screen where the screen was latticed enough to prevent recognition by a priest?
Click to expand...
Yes. Usually there is a piece of fabric over the lattice, which makes it so that you can’t see the face through the screen. You can always recognize a voice, though. I know which priest it is instantly.

If it bothers you when there is no fabric there, don’t kneel, but stay standing. Then your face will be well above the screen so he can’t see it. Or wear a large hat and sunglasses. 😃 But you still have the voice issue, unless you go to a different parish for your confessions.
 
jmcrae said:
Most of the Confessionals I’ve been in have either thick fabric cloth over the opening, or translucent glass. I’ve only seen one with the lattice thingy; the priest kept the lights off, in that particular case.
Click to expand...
Actually if the light is on in the priest’s cell but OFF in the penitent’s cell, he would not see you but you could see him.
 
the parish that i go to has a thick curtain between penitant and priest, so you can not see one another. i prefer to move it as i would rather talk to a person than a bit of cloth lol

the other parish that our priests attend to, is large inside without a screen at all. however, one priest usually sits back and closes his eyes, and barely opens that even when you are face to face and the other sits hunched over, looking into his lap. i don’t mind, but that might deter people from entering the confessional.
 
Back when I was an Episcopalian, I had to make a REALLY difficult confession. Brrrrr. Still shiver just remembering it. Although it was “by appointment”, the confessional was a traditional “box” with a screen. You could kind of see through it, but there was a crucifix right above the grille. I made that confession TO the crucifix.

Man. It was hard but that was a GOOD confession.
 
In most of the “built in” confessionals, not only is there a grill between the penitent’s side and that of the priest, but the penitent’s side was dark, while the only light was on the priest’s side. But still I’m quite certain that the priest cannot see the penitent well enough.

How on earth could I conclude that? Well, about the time when face-to-face Confession was just starting to be popular (it was the late '60s early '70s), I was traveling across the U.S. and stopped for Confession. As I was leaving the Confessional, the priest emerged from his side commenting to me on my accent I had and wanting to know where I was from! Must tell you that it was a bit shocking for someone who always thought that Confession allowed anonymity. I had no idea that I would actually need those Groucho glasses! 😃
 
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