The Time has Come to Ban Reconciliation Rooms

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phil19034 said:
but it’s also about protecting the priest from false accusations too.
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That’s a very good argument. That is a solid, objective reason why the traditional confessional box might be an improvement. Erik Bootsma never mentioned that, though, in his poorly thought-out article.
 
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Irishmom2 said:
Oh, for Pete’s sake people. Can we please think logically? We don’t need to ban reconciliation rooms. Have age limits, and have parents ensure that their children use a confessional. We don’t need to ban every thing in the world for everyone.
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What about parishes that don’t have room for two different types of confession? Are you saying that we tell parents, “sorry, this parish doesn’t support confession for minors”?

Sounds like I’m going to have go over to the recently remodeled National Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia and take pictures of their band new confessionals so you people and see what the modern, post sex abuse confessionals look like.
 
So much for privacy. Have you ever tried to speak through one of those glass seperations with the hole. NO way could somebody say a confession through those without being heard elsewhere.
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HOW? You and the priest are STILL both behind a closed door. But you are not both behind the same closed door. You both have your own individual rooms, with closed doors, with a small window between the two rooms.

Why is this so hard to imagine?
 
YES!!! That’s it. And they are built large enough to accommodate a wheelchair/walker.

Thank you!
 
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Zaccheus said:
Confession booths are good. But not everybody can use them. There should be other choices at hand for those with other needs.
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The modern confessional booths are large enough for a while chair and have a chair for those who cannot kneel.
 
Our Confessionals dont have enough room for wheelchairs. I’m not sure if someone with a walker could get in comfortably, either.
Maybe if he went around the wall, for face to face, but I’ve never gone face to face in the Confessional. Just twice in Fathers office.
 
phil19034 said:
The modern confessional booths are large enough for a while chair and have a chair for those who cannot kneel.
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Not in any church I’ve seen.
My experience has been that if you need a wheel chair you need a reconciliation room. Nor have I seen any confession booths with chairs.
 
phil19034 said:
The modern confessional booths are large enough for a while chair and have a chair for those who cannot kneel.
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Ours just have the kneeler, unless I guess if you’d go around the wall screen to do face to face.
 
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Until this thread, I never even realized that those in my parish in wheelchairs/walkers probably can’t go into the Confessionals.
 
I have only experienced confession face-to-face, my first confession (age 62) was in my pastor’s office. Our confessionals have the option to kneel before the screen or sit in a chair face-to-face. At this point in my life, I’ll take confession anywhere. But I do understand the concern given the abuses that have come to light. Has abuse taken place in the confessional?
 
Gotta pay the craftsman and buy the supplies. That’s probably not cheap.
 
There’s one newer church in my diocese, built about five years ago, that has a sort of hybrid confessional. One room, divided down the middle with a separating wall–that basically makes it into two rooms. There’s a screen on the middle of the room that’s mounted to a slide. So if you wish to go anonymously, you may, but if you wish to go face-to-face, you can pull the slide back and see the priest. That way there’s still physical separation between priest and penitent (for those concerned with potential liability issues) but also the opportunity for face to face. And it’s built with standard sized doors on the outside, so it’s wheelchair accessible as well.

-Fr ACEGC
 
At Christmas and Easter, the last couple of parishes I’ve attended have had a penance service, where several priests from other parishes in addition to the parish priests hear confession. The will often set up a temporary confessional that consists of a portable “wall” with a screen and a kneeler for the penitent, a chair for the priest (on the other side of the screen), and a chair for anyone who chooses face to face. this is set up somewhere in the church, often in front of the altar, completely in the open. And those wishing to use, stand in line at least 20 feet or so behind the “confessional” After the penance service, this “confessional” is taken down and stored in a closet.
Seems like if they did that for all confessions, 52 weeks a year, it would solve the problem, and do it cheaply. Besides, what abuser would dare try something with a dozen or so people “witnessing” the confession from 20 to 30 feet away? Seems simple to me.
Besides, going to confession right in front of the altar sure would make me think a bit harder about what I was saying. Especially under the giant crucifix hanging above said altar.
 
I’m not sure, I haven’t been up there in a while (or in any case haven’t been inside the confessional there in a while), but I think when they built the place they announced that as among the “features” of the new building.
 
They both have their merits. I don’t mind face to face. My Priest sometimes hears your confession shoulder to shoulder (i.e. sitting next to each other facing the tabernacle). I don’t mind that either. In the end you’re there with contrition so it shouldn’t matter. You are confessing to Christ and he knows all.
 
I disagree. Not well reasoned at all. He started with the conclusion he wanted and never mentioned the good that comes from confessions made face to face. Anything that happened after V II bad syndrome. Will I have news, face to face confessions were recommended for man before V II. Some of my best confessions were made face to face IMO.
It is like banning cars because their are car crashes. Lets work on the root cause of the problems not someone’s opinion.
 
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