Videotaping a Confession

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axolotl

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My daughter made her First Confession yesterday. Our parish brought in four outside priests to handle the volume. Since our church doesn’t have enough confessionals for the exra priest, there were some improvised confessional in areas like the cry-room and sacristy. Some of these areas were out of earshot, but within visual range.

I couldn’t believe it, but some guy had his camcoerder out taping his son making his First Confession! The boy was in one of the makeshift confession areas. This seemed rather inappropriate to me. Am I right, or am I just crazy?
 
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axolotl:
My daughter made her First Confession yesterday. Our parish brought in four outside priests to handle the volume. Since our church doesn’t have enough confessionals for the exra priest, there were some improvised confessional in areas like the cry-room and sacristy. Some of these areas were out of earshot, but within visual range.

I couldn’t believe it, but some guy had his camcoerder out taping his son making his First Confession! The boy was in one of the makeshift confession areas. This seemed rather inappropriate to me. Am I right, or am I just crazy?
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Congrats to your daughter! First Communion next!!!
I would be in tears and would not be able to say a thing if someone pointed a video camera at me in a confessional. Poor kid.
 
Father, forgive me, I just smashed my father’s video camera . :rolleyes:
 
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axolotl:
My daughter made her First Confession yesterday. Our parish brought in four outside priests to handle the volume. Since our church doesn’t have enough confessionals for the exra priest, there were some improvised confessional in areas like the cry-room and sacristy. Some of these areas were out of earshot, but within visual range.

I couldn’t believe it, but some guy had his camcoerder out taping his son making his First Confession! The boy was in one of the makeshift confession areas. This seemed rather inappropriate to me. Am I right, or am I just crazy?
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This idea of mass first confession needs to stop. First confession is a private matter. A child should be prepared by the parents and catechists and then given the opportunity to go to confession. We should not be issuing certificates and marching each child up on the stage in front of the class. As a matter of fact there is no such thing as a “First Reconciliation Register” at a parish. Like there is a Baptismal, Confirmation, Marriage register. There is also no notation on the back of an official Baptismal certificate for “First Reconciliation”.
 
This is an outrage. That father should have his head examined. Poor kid.
 
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axolotl:
My daughter made her First Confession yesterday. Our parish brought in four outside priests to handle the volume. Since our church doesn’t have enough confessionals for the exra priest, there were some improvised confessional in areas like the cry-room and sacristy. Some of these areas were out of earshot, but within visual range.

I couldn’t believe it, but some guy had his camcoerder out taping his son making his First Confession! The boy was in one of the makeshift confession areas. This seemed rather inappropriate to me. Am I right, or am I just crazy?
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I don’t think you’re crazy.

I think you might want to approach your parish priest and inform him. I would think and want to think that the priest in that particular room stopped the overzealous but ignorant father and booted him out.

I’m certain that educated Catholics know that the seal of confession is inviolate, and there are severe penalties for both the direct and indirect violation of the seal. Most posters know where to find the code of canon law on the internet and can look up canons 983 and 1388.

But it might as well be known also that “the recording, or divulging by means of social communication, of that which has been said, whether by the priest or by the penitent, in confession” is considered one of several more grave delicts against the sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance, as of February 2003. Judgement about this is reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
 
But it might as well be known also that “the recording, or divulging by means of social communication, of that which has been said, whether by the priest or by the penitent, in confession” is considered one of several more grave delicts against the sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance, as of February 2003. Judgement about this is reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
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That of course is true, but the father of the child in question almost undoubtably not be subject to any kind of ecclesiatic sanction for this.

Canon 1323 reads:
Can. 1323 No one is liable to a penalty who, when violating a law or precept:
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…
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6ƒ lacked the use of reason, without prejudice to the provisions of canon. 1324, ß1, n. 2 and 1325;
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A gentleman taping his son’s first confession could not, objectively be said to have the use of reason or common sense.
 
I know this is “wrong” but I was recently looking for references dealing with someone deliberately trying to overhear a confession. I heard a story about a man making a confession, and the village was gathered outside, adding their two cents and “reminding” him about sins he didn’t confess. I have been in the situation that I heard someone’s confession because they didn’t close the door and they spoke loudly. Everyone in the church could hear “Fornication” echo loudly throughout the cathedral! :eek: (and I know that it wasn’t anyone’s fault other than the penitent that he was overheard) What if someone was standing with their ear to the door, though? What kind of sin, if any, would that be? Would it be a sin to not take care that others could hear your confession? What about if someone tried to see the sins written on a piece of paper that the penitent took into confession with them to remind them? Does anyone have some resources they could point me to that address these situations?
 
if someone accidentally (or deliberately) overhears a confession he his bound by the same rule of confidentiality that binds the priest. this would hold for instance for a nurse assisting a dying person, a sign interpreter for the deaf.

we also had the problem of parents taking pictures, I was able to get rid of the video cameras, but the parents taking pictures with their cell phones got past me (did not even know that was possible I need a techie update). We do not issue certificates because they are not required and are in fact discouraged. We are required to provide the opportunity for confession before first communion, but not to document in any way, either in parish records or CCD records, that it occurred. We do not have a party or a communal service of any kind, simply extended hours for confession with an extra priest to help.
 
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Brendan:
Father, forgive me, I just smashed my father’s video camera . :rolleyes:
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:rotfl:

Seriously, though, what is wrong with that priest? He never should have allowed this to happen. He should have given the dad the boot.
 
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puzzleannie:
We do not issue certificates because they are not required and are in fact discouraged. We are required to provide the opportunity for confession before first communion, but not to document in any way, either in parish records or CCD records, that it occurred. We do not have a party or a communal service of any kind, simply extended hours for confession with an extra priest to help.
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Sheesh, my parish needs to take a lesson from yours. We had the certificates and the communal service. My youngest missed his communal service because we were out of town, so we had to make other arrangements. Before his First Communion, the DRE was calling me, telling me that we HAD to take him to Confession (we already had) and then wanting all of the pertinent details - date, priest, etc. Like she was going to go check out my story…
 
I had a similar incident at my parish. I was an asst CCD teacher and was there when the kids made their First Reconciliation. They first had a Penneance Service, then the priest told everyone what their pennance would be, then they went off to the Sacristy and the office (we are working on building our church). The doors to both rooms were left open and parents were snapping pics left and right! I was shocked. I am no longer a CCD teacher for this and other reasons. I was told by another priest that this is probably a result of the sex abuse scandal. I actually made a confession once in the cry room and the priest told me not to close the curtain on the huge window in there :eek: . I am a very private person so I was extremely uncomfortable, but did as he asked me to. I think a lot of this can be resolved by putting the confessional booths back in the churches. They protect both priest and parishoner. I have asked the person who is overseeing the construction of our church to please consider this as I can understand the position of the priest not wanting to be accused of something he did not do. But just because I am female doesn’t mean I want an audience when I make my confession!
 
Our son will have his first confession this Sunday and they also bring in outside priest and there is only one confessional so they use the cry-room too. I agree that guy should not have videotaped his son’s confession. I’m not so sure I like the idea of taking pictures while the child is confessing either. Afterwards maybe but not during. After our children make their confession the go up and light a candle and then say a prayer. Is this the same at other parishes?
 
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Stac4Grace:
Our son will have his first confession this Sunday and they also bring in outside priest and there is only one confessional so they use the cry-room too. I agree that guy should not have videotaped his son’s confession. I’m not so sure I like the idea of taking pictures while the child is confessing either. Afterwards maybe but not during. After our children make their confession they go up and light a candle and then say a prayer. Is this the same at other parishes?
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That is how this parish did it (the candle thing). My old parish didn’t, but they (old parish) also made it into a bigger spectacle. They had they children process in for the communal service. They also insisted that they confess face-to face:bigyikes:. Both of my daughter’s used a confessional Sunday, and both chose the private option.
 
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Monica37:
I had a similar incident at my parish. I was an asst CCD teacher and was there when the kids made their First Reconciliation. They first had a Penneance Service, then the priest told everyone what their pennance would be, then they went off to the Sacristy and the office (we are working on building our church). The doors to both rooms were left open and parents were snapping pics left and right! I was shocked. I am no longer a CCD teacher for this and other reasons. I was told by another priest that this is probably a result of the sex abuse scandal. I actually made a confession once in the cry room and the priest told me not to close the curtain on the huge window in there :eek: . I am a very private person so I was extremely uncomfortable, but did as he asked me to. I think a lot of this can be resolved by putting the confessional booths back in the churches. They protect both priest and parishoner. I have asked the person who is overseeing the construction of our church to please consider this as I can understand the position of the priest not wanting to be accused of something he did not do. But just because I am female doesn’t mean I want an audience when I make my confession!
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I think that a semi-transparent window on both sides or even a transparent window on only the priests side would protect both from physical abuse. Re-installing the Confessionals would also be good.
 
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