Should parishes consider eliminating face-to-face confessions?

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Blessedwithfive said:
I am not sure it matters either way. Very few people still go to Confession.
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Thankfully, this is not the case where I live. There is always a line, at my own parish and at every surrounding parish where I have gone to confession. Sometimes, it is a very long line.
 
anon64350612 said:
I would like to eliminate face to face confession. Not because it makes me uncomfortable, but sometimes the priest wants to chat afterward, and I think that diminishes the solemnity and awesomeness of what just happened at absolution. I would prefer to immediately go say my penitential prayers and a prayer of thanksgiving.
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Ha! The longest, chattiest confession I ever had was behind the screen. I didn’t know the priest and the priest didn’t know me, but man, did he like to talk. He went on and on about any number of things. I was working in the field in which he was pursuing a Master’s Degree, so we talked about that. We talked about the news and the weather. I wanted out of that confessional so badly, but I didn’t know how to extricate myself.
 
Hope1960 said:
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anon64350612:
I would like to eliminate face to face confession. Not because it makes me uncomfortable, but sometimes the priest wants to chat afterward, and I think that diminishes the solemnity and awesomeness of what just happened at absolution
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I feel the same way. Chatting makes it feel less holy and more like just a friendly visit.
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I agree about the chatting, but I’ve rarely experienced that in face-to-face confessions.
 
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we got rid of the old fashioned separate doors, blocked screen type environmental set ups for confession.
because of the sexual child abuse scandal here.

So now its behind a sheer material curtin, kneeling, or face to face with the Priest, in an open room, either doors open or glass in the door.

English teacher that is not an attempt to erode the seal of confession, its about mandatory reporting. The Australian Bishops conference will bring down its response to this next week. and all the other recommendations made.
 
Theo2 said:
Go to St. Peter’s in Rome. That is what they have there, In fact Pope Francis used one.
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It’s been a long time since I last visited St. Peter’s. I don’t remember the confessionals. In fact there’s so much to look at there that I probably never noticed them.

I did, however, notice Pope JP2 standing in the middle of the nave, chatting to a group of visitors in a language that I presume was Polish. My wife and I can now claim to have been in the same room with a saint.
 
here its because abuse happened in the private and closed confessional. Now all interaction with priests and laity involved in church ministry are done with open doors and open rooms.

I was in Reconciliation with a newly ordained Priest from Chicago this week. We were confession either side of the altar. On the other side of the altar, the Cardinal of Tonga was hearing confessions too.

the Cardinal was also subject to the same rules, open Confession. No one minded at all.
I asked the the priest if I should shut one of the doors because it was night, very cold, etc. He said no, we are to keep all doors open 🙂
 
yes, here it has, and by one of our most notoriious paedophile priests who is now serving many sentences in prison and kind of started the entire Royal commission when his victims grew up and pushed for his being charged.
 
Roseeurekacross said:
yes, here it has, and by one of our most notoriious paedophile priests who is now serving many sentences in prison and kind of started the entire Royal commission when his victims grew up and pushed for his being charged.
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Thank you. I appreciate your (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
our Bishop has decreed the way confession is said now days, environmentally. It was nice to see that His Eminence the Cardinal of Tonga was adhering to the Bishop’s rule.
 
I don’t see the potential for abuse in this setup

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If there was floor to ceiling wall with an opaque grid abuse could not occur and if the penitent was careful the Priest could not identify them.
 
Our confessionals do not look like that but the structure is similar. Three separate rooms, a penitent on each side, the priest in the middle with a grille, curtain, and sliding door to hear the confession. Priest and penitent do not have the possibility of physical contact, or of seeing each other, only hearing. The confessionals are lare enough to accommodate a wheelchair if needed, and the penitent can either kneel or use a chair. No windows. Privacy, soundproof, and no possibility of abuse.
 
EnglishTeacher said:
I could never understand anyway why some parishes got rid of their confessionals and replaced them with “Reconciliation Rooms.” Who thought that was a good idea? 1) Traditional confessionals are both completely private and out in the open so that you can see who is going in and coming out; 2) they have the advantages mentioned above of preserving anonymity and physically dividing priest and penitent; and 3) they are easy to find and are a visible reminder of the forgiveness offered in Christ. “Reconciliation Rooms” more often than not are tucked away and difficult to find if you are not familiar with the church.
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Can you define what you mean by “Traditional Confessional” vs. “Reconciliation Room”. Other than terminology that has been updated, what differentiates the two in your mind? Does this refer to the architectural style or function? By “Traditional Confessional”, do you mean one that does not allow face-to-face Confession? One that is freestanding within the Church? What about a freestanding room that allows for face-to-face Confession, in an architectural style that is reminiscent of old-style confessionals?


This confessional, for example, easily allows for face-to-face confession.

On the other hand, I have been in a confessional which has the priest sitting in the sacristy, with the penitent accessing it from a rather obscure door in the nave. It does not allow an option for face-to-face, although I suppose someone could access through the sacristy door. It doesn’t look anything like a beautiful piece of art. From the outside, it looks like a closet. It isn’t tucked away and has a sign above the door, and usually a line leading to it.

I’ve never seen a Reconciliation Room that is tucked away and difficult to find. I’ve never seen one that is not located within the Nave of the Church.
 
the experiment of “face to face” confession has been a failure

it turns into counseling sessions. long lines

and people being turned away once the time bell rings
 
brian_custer said:
the experiment of “face to face” confession has been a failure
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This shows a very short-sighted view of history.

Why do you think that face-to-face Confession has been an experiment? Do you think it did not exist prior to Vatican II? How do you think that people received the sacrament before St. Charles Borromeo introduced a screen (for the sake of propriety, not anonymity) in the 1500s? How do you think we have always functioned in the Eastern Churches?

Like it, or not. It has always been.
 
I haven’t read all of the responses, but why eliminate the face-to-face option completely?

In our parish, you walk into a private room and immediately see a kneeler and screen. You may either stop there or proceed behind the screen and sit in a chair to face the priest.

Problem solved, everyone happy, best of both worlds, insert fourth cliche here.
 
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