New design for Confessionals?

[Don_Ruggero]

Across the years, I have heard confessions in many countries.

The grill is there to comply with canon 964 but in many instances, it actually falls short of being in compliance for lack of being “fixed” – which is the value that is higher than providing any sense of anonymity.

The canon is not addressing anonymity. There are confessionals that do obfuscate the face of the person confessing – I have encountered more of them in visiting the United States that I have seen throughout Europe. Often involves the use of slats or of a cloth over the grate of the confessional.

This photo from a parish in Canada shows the level of opacity that is what I typically experience in confessionals where I am a confessor.

http://holyredeemer.iparish.ca/?attachment_id=3671

 

[TheLittleLady]

I have a mid century side chair with caning on the sides. I call it the “grille seat”

 

[Fuerza]

I’m lucky enough to live near a chapel that offers confession for about 5-6 hours per day, 6 days a week. As long as I time it correctly, usually from about an hour after the last morning Mass up to about 90 minutes before the first evening Mass, I can walk in and out without being seen by anyone. I’m like a penitential ninja spy :male_detective:.

 

[JimG]

None of the traditional confessionals I’m familiar with would have allowed abuse since the priest was enclosed in a box with no physical access to the penitent beyond his/her voice.

This is exactly the type of confessionals which we had in my former parish. They were essentially 3 separate rooms, with a fixed grille on either side of the priest. Each confessional also had a opaque curtain both on the penitent’s side and the priest’s side. These were new confessionals, not old ones, well lit, spacious, where one could either kneel or sit. The priest and penitent had no access to each other except by voice. The parish was large and the lines were long; I doubt that the priest could recognize every voice even if he had wanted to, which he didn’t.

 

[GospelOfMatthew]

I’ve seen some windows in the door but they are like stained glass. Others are doors with padding on them like carpet so you can’t hear the penitent. I haven’t seen glass doors but I do see stained glass in confessional doors a lot

 

[Sean]

This pratice began way before the abuse crisis

 

[TheLittleLady]

Worst one I’ve ever seen, in a little historical country Church. A glass box with a door and two chairs in the middle. Just sitting there, in the middle of an open space, not a blind or drape or frosted glass. Glass box, two chairs, a door.

Nope. No way am I going to go to confession like some exhibit!

 

[Cruciferi]

I suppose one could wear a disguise, change their voice, and cover their mouth slightly. It would be an elaborate Confession…

 

[twf]

I’ve never been in a confession situation where I went into a totally empty church, confessed, and left without anybody seeing me come in or go out. Seems a bit unrealistic to expect to be able to sneak in and out.

When I was living in the Dominican, I went directly to a retired priest’s home and he heard my confession in his courtyard behind a high wall attached to the cathedral complex…it was about as private as you could get
Of course, not typically practical.

 

[Vico]

…

Unless you happen to know the priest. Or if he sees you in line on his way into the confessional. In either of those scenarios, you can be behind a screen but not be anonymous, yet there has been no violation of the law.

Yes. Because the Latin canon law only says to have “confessionals with a fixed grate between the penitent and the confessor in an open place so that the faithful who wish to can use them freely” but does not specify anything in particular to guarantee anonymity.