Phones in Confessional

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sealabeag

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This is something I’ve been thinking about quite seriously for a while now but I’ve never seen it mentioned anywhere else, or raised as an issue.

As we all know, our cell/smart phones are listening to us. Regardless of how you look at that fact - from taking it as a benign fact, that apps listen for the sake of targeted ads, and nothing more sinster, or in a more sinister sense, that governments and big tech are recording and collecting our personal data and conversations for unknown purposes and breaching our rights to privacy - it is not the purpose of this thread. You can debate that if you want but it’s not my intention.

My question is this: Given this fact, as Catholics, would bringing our smartphones into the confessional not, on some level at least, be to break the seal of confession?

I can understand that it would not be, at least not on the part of the penitent or priest, if they did not know this fact about phones. But this knowledge is more or less widespread now.

Thoughts?
 
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I use mine when I go to confession. During my examination of conscience each day, I write down any sins I’ve committed in an app on my phone. Then I read from the list when I’m in the confessional every month.
 
In our parish Church we are instructed to switch off all phones. Even putting to silent mode is not permitted.
 
The Seal is binding on the priest, not the penitent. The question of the phone is a separate matter.
 
The myth that apps on your phone are listening to you is pretty widespread, but there’s no compelling proof that it’s happening. Many people use apps on their phone for examination of conscience, so I think it is probably ok to bring it with you if you need it. Though I do agree there are good reasons to leave your phone off when you go to church (such as to avoid distraction) I don’t think you have to worry about being spied on in the confessional.

Peace
 
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Stephen_says said:
The myth that apps on your phone are listening to you is pretty widespread, but there’s no compelling proof that it’s happening.
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This is just totally incorrect. It is a non-controversial fact. The controversy is to what extent, and by whom.
 
Ok so just a pre-emptive strike here: This thread might become a debate about whether or not your phone is listening to you.
Can we begin from the assumption (even if you don’t believe it is happening, it that case consider it a hypothetical) that your phone is listening to you, and if so, the answer to my question.
 
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sealabeag said:
Can we begin from the assumption (even if you don’t believe it is happening, it that case consider it a hypothetical) that your phone is listening to you, and if so, the answer to my question.
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It looks to me as though @Pitcairn17 already answered your question:
Pitcairn17 said:
The Seal is binding on the priest, not the penitent.
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sealabeag said:
This thread might become a debate about whether or not your phone is listening to you.
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The question isn’t whether it’s “listening to you” (actually, it’s “listening” for a prompt word like “Siri”). The question is whether it does anything with the tons of voice data it monitors, especially everything that precedes the prompt word. (It doesn’t, BTW.)
Can we begin from the assumption (even if you don’t believe it is happening, it that case consider it a hypothetical) that your phone is listening to you
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Why? That would be like asking “can we begin from the assumption that Jesus isn’t God, and answer the question from there”, wouldn’t it?

In any case: no, it wouldn’t break the seal of the confessional if you bring your phone into the confessional. As others have noted, that binds the priest, not you, and you’re the one bringing the phone to church.
 
Gorgias said:
it wouldn’t break the seal of the confessional if you bring your phone into the confessional. As others have noted, that binds the priest, not you, and you’re the one bringing the phone to church.
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Many priests use their phone in the confessional, for prayers or whatever they may be doing. So how does that affect it?
Related question: If the seal of confession is only binding on the priest, then I can record my confession and play it to a friend later, and not have sinned?
Obviously only playing devil’s advocate there but I am interested in the answer.
 
Gorgias said:
Why? That would be like asking “can we begin from the assumption that Jesus isn’t God, and answer the question from there”, wouldn’t it?
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Nope, I just want an answer to a specific question - If your phone is listening to you, is taking your phone into the confessional, either by the priest or the penitent, breaking the seal?
 
sealabeag said:
Given this fact,
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It’s not a “fact”. My phone is not magically recording my conversations somehow when the recording function is off, I’m not making a call, and I don’t have any voice-activated apps.
If one is really worried about this, the phone has an “off” button.
as Catholics, would bringing our smartphones into the confessional not, on some level at least, be to break the seal of confession?
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Even if a penitent did somehow have a recording function enabled on his phone, he can’t “break the seal” of confession because he isn’t bound to a seal. He can talk about his own confession all day long.

The seal only applies to the priest. I would presume a priest would not bring his cell phone to confession at all or else would make sure it was totally turned off to avoid it either ringing, or inadvertently recording or transmitting if he bumped a wrong button.
 
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The seal of course applies to the priest, but it also applies to anyone who might inadvertently overhear any part of a confession. (Obviously, one should do everything possible to avoid that happening - stand far away, cover your ears if you absolutely have to walk past when confession is going on, etc, etc.)

But hypothetically, even if the phone is “listening,” I don’t think the seal applies to it. It is not listening in the sense that a human listens.
 
EnglishTeacher said:
The seal of course applies to the priest, but it also applies to anyone who might inadvertently overhear any part of a confession. (Obviously, one should do everything possible to avoid that happening - stand far away, cover your ears if you absolutely have to walk past when confession is going on, etc, etc.)
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This has come up in these forums before, and once again, I will repeat — priests and penitents, please use your softest voices. People can hear you!

In a quiet church, you are more audible than you think you are. This is also a problem in the old-time confessionals where you had two booths for penitents, one on either side of the priest.
sealabeag said:
If the seal of confession is only binding on the priest, then I can record my confession and play it to a friend later, and not have sinned?
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I don’t know, but I have to think it would be a sin against charity towards the priest, in that you have surreptitiously recorded something that the priest did not intend to be recorded.

If this isn’t addressed in canon law, it should be. With a big fat ecclesiastical penalty attached to boot.
 
Well the seal of confession is only applicable for the Priest and not the Penitant

For example a Priest cannot tell someone about the sins of the Penitant but the Penitant cam freely choose if he/she would like to share his/her sins or Experience
 
If they are doing “confession by phone” with the penitent in view, then that means they and hopefully the bishop have considered the risk of a breach of the seal by the priest’s phone or the telecommunication process, and decided the risk of COVID and the urgency of confession greatly outweigh the small risk.

In normal times, cell phones for confession are not permitted.
Even during COVID, some dioceses don’t permit cell phones to be used, such as outdoors with the penitent within view.
We had confessions here all during suspension of Mass. No priests in my area used phones.
 
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