Discuss: Confession Face to Face: Bad Idea?

[acarlson]

In my limited experience (entered the Church in 2008), I’ve never had a priest lay hands on me for absolution. And I don’t see a problem with it so long as the penitent agrees.

I personally think having both options for confession is great. The wrong is when a person is forced into either situation when they’d much rather be doing the opposite.

 

[Wiseowl]

As a young student I had a Priest rub my hands and shoulders throughout most of the confession, his mind and grin seemed somewhere else like in a trance.

So behind curtains , safety first I advise.

 

[superamazingman]

Picky picky picky, as I see it. The quote might be true, but it is also anecdotal and antiquated. When the majority of Catholics may never partake of the Sacrament (or all too rarely), why this focus on the physical aspect rather than the spiritual aspect? How is criticism of the mechanics of the Sacrament intended to invite the sinful back into the confessional?

“The quote might be true, but it is also anecdotal and antiquated.”

Sounds an awful lot like relativism to me. If it’s true, than we should heed it.

 

[SecretGarden]

I think there is a place for both depending on the person as well as depending on the subject. There are some things that I prefer speaking with someone I barely know and in other cases, my parish priest is ok. I don’t like those confessional boxes. I have only been in one once. It was small and dark. I didn’t even stay for confession. I’m not a person who likes closed spaces. Either way, forcing people to fit into either mold is also ridiculous. I think we should respect everyone’s comfort zones. I agree that we need to protect our children but the church should also be responsible “to hire” so to speak priests that aren’t molesters either. The reality is: the majority of child abuse cases occur from family and friends and not the clergy.

 

[Jeanne_S]

i dont like the face to face confession it honestly seems like a counseling session and is too focused on me and the priest rather than Jesus and His mercy He shows me for my sins. thats not what confession is, it’s about you going and having your sins forgiven and then trying to not sin again, not be counseled on why your a good person and making your sins seem insignificant. i prefer the confessional box where there’s a screen between you two. it makes it more reverent and i feel so much more of Jesus’ mercy. it truly feels like im confessing to Jesus , but that’s just my opinion

Agree!

 

[superamazingman]

Picky picky picky, as I see it. The quote might be true, but it is also anecdotal and antiquated. When the majority of Catholics may never partake of the Sacrament (or all too rarely), why this focus on the physical aspect rather than the spiritual aspect? How is criticism of the mechanics of the Sacrament intended to invite the sinful back into the confessional?

The quote might be true, but it is also anecdotal and antiquated.

???

Sounds an awful lot like relativism to me. If it’s true, we should heed it, antiquated or not.

Don’t forget that the Vatican has also made it clear that behind the grate has preference, and priests can refuse to hear a penitent face to face if they wish, even if the penitent requests to the contrary.

“If, according to Canon 964, paragraph 2, of the Code of Canon Law, the minister of the sacrament, for a just cause and excluding cases of necessity, can legitimately decide, even in the eventuality that the penitent ask for the contrary, that sacramental confession be received in a confessional with a fixed grille.”

 

[SecretGarden]

As a young student I had a Priest rub my hands and shoulders throughout most of the confession, his mind and grin seemed somewhere else like in a trance.

So behind curtains , safety first I advise.

That was a violation and it should have been reported. If something seems off, ask and report if necessary.

 

[twf]

In the past when I went to “random” priests for confession, I always used the confessional and knelt behind the screen. In recent months, I’ve been seeing a regular confessor at the local cathedral…the last couple times he’s sat in an empty pew (during times when the massive building is virtualy empty), while I’ve knelt on the floor and made my confession. It is an open area, which addresses Fr. Z’s concern about scandal, yet effectively private.

 

[superamazingman]

Father Z was extremely non-specific, and did not provide even anecdotal evidence of a single occurrence. I have never heard anyone mention being touched during the Sacrament. Anyway, he clearly identifies this in his blog as a personal rant. I would hope that he has spoken with his Bishop about this.

I have heard of it, and when I talked to a priest friend this morning, he said it was pushed very strongly in his seminary, and almost every priest in his class did it. And many of those priests are still practicing, and I’ve encountered them. So it’s far from anecdotal.

 

[superamazingman]

The point is to protect people, especially children, from being touched by potentially predator priests–let’s face it, it can happen–and, just as importantly, protect the priest from lies and false accusations and people looking to cash in.

Exactly. a priest friend I talked to this morning said he is seriously considering only hearing confessions behind the grate from now on for that very reason.

 

[Wiseowl]

That was a violation and it should have been reported. If something seems off, ask and report if necessary.

Oh it was reported, but not much done. He was reassigned from one church to another and had problems as a alcoholic. Today it would be far less tolerated.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Father Z was extremely non-specific, and did not provide even anecdotal evidence of a single occurrence. I have never heard anyone mention being touched during the Sacrament. Anyway, he clearly identifies this in his blog as a personal rant. I would hope that he has spoken with his Bishop about this.

I was being sarcastic, obviously. It is part of the Rite in the Byznatine tradition that the priest places his Epitrachelion on the head of the penitent and his hand on the head (as shown by the photos I posted earlier).

 

[Don_Jackson]

I like face to face. The priest is, at confession, in the person of Christ. Therefore the Francican mystic in me allows me to see myself (through reflection) in the eyes of Christ when confessing face to face.

 

[po18guy]

If it’s true, we should heed it, antiquated or not.

That’s the point! This is essentially a rumor, and nothing more concrete has been presented. Fr. Z gave nothing specific, other than some supposed instructions given an unknown amount of time ago at an unnamed seminary by unnamed persons of unknown capacity to unnamed Priests, who may never have acted on that alleged advice.

Call me oblivious, but I see no reason to suddenly go on alert.

Don’t like face-to-face (keeping in mind that Father is acting in persona Christi), then don’t!

Simple.

 

[po18guy]

I was being sarcastic, obviously. It is part of the Rite in the Byznatine tradition that the priest places his Epitrachelion on the head of the penitent and his hand on the head (as shown by the photos I posted earlier).

We really, really need a “sarcasm” font! I don;t know what Fr. Z’s thing is here, but he was certainly on a rant.

 

[Pug]

I understand that a priest may be afraid, and wish to practice locking himself in a box so that no one can claim he exited the box and hurt them. But there is no reason to lock penitents in boxes unless they wish to be.

I strongly prefer not being in a closed, dark box, but I don’t mind a grille in an open room, if that makes the priest happy.

The only Latin priest who ever touched my head, aside from confirmation of course, was a foreign priest from Africa, during confession.

EDIT: oh, I suppose anointing of the sick, too.

 

[Corki]

I understand that a priest may be afraid, and wish to practice locking himself in a box so that no one can claim he exited the box and hurt them. But there is no reason to lock penitents in boxes unless they wish to be.

I strongly prefer not being in a closed, dark box, but I don’t mind a grille in an open room, if that makes the priest happy.

The only Latin priest who ever touched my head, aside from confirmation of course, was a foreign priest from Africa, during confession.

EDIT: oh, I suppose anointing of the sick, too.

Actually, there is a reason - canon law. The priest can choose only to hear confessions in a confessional with a fixed screen. IF he decides to also allow face-to-face, it is up to the penitent. It doesn’t have to be dark, of course, and it can be a larger room, but the penitent cannot force a priest to hear a confession face-to-face.

 

[Pug]

Actually, there is a reason - canon law. The priest can choose only to hear confessions in a confessional with a fixed screen. IF he decides to also allow face-to-face, it is up to the penitent. It doesn’t have to be dark, of course, and it can be a larger room, but the penitent cannot force a priest to hear a confession face-to-face.

I am aware that he can refuse a face to face confession. Here is an example where it appears that he is in a box and I’m not. Above the kneeler I assume that is a fixed screen. Even if it isn’t, there is no reason it couldn’t be made to be fixed, and not one of those sliding things that some have. This allows the priest to be in a box behind a fixed screen. This allows the penitent to not be in a box, see? The priest could even lock his door from the inside if he wanted, I assume.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[ilySHJ]

A lifetime of frequent Confession yields a variety of experiences.

Many priests have put their hands on my head during Absolution.

I find face-to-face is distracting but have certainly experienced it often enough.

When I kneel in a semi-darkened confessional, it’s much easier to envision that I’m confessing straight to God. I’m not trying to forget the priest is present, but it helps me remember God’s nearness. It helps me to be open if I don’t need to guard my expressions or hide a tear.

 

[po18guy]

I have heard of it, and when I talked to a priest friend this morning, he said it was pushed very strongly in his seminary, and almost every priest in his class did it. And many of those priests are still practicing, and I’ve encountered them. So it’s far from anecdotal.

Would you call it universal, or widespread?