When you go to confession and find it is only face to face

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This is just to see how Catholics respond to this situation.
 
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I just confess face to face. That said, you should always have the option of a screen of some kind. If it was important to me, I’d ask.
 
I actually prefer face-to-face confession, but I rarely use it because it’s not commonly used where I usually go to confession. Although you can make appointments for it. In the Eastern churches, confessionals are not really a thing, so I remember going to a Melkite church for it, I was literally the only person in the church, so it really was not that big of a deal. I had my confession before an icon of Christ the teacher , I believe it was.
 
I’ve discovered that even when there is a screen, the priest still knows who I am, so it doesn’t really matter. The screen is there for your own mental comfort, not because it actually does anything.
 
I always go with the screen, but occasionally I’ve found myself in this position. I just accept it as a humility (especially if the priest knows me) and remember that he is acting in the person of Jesus.
 
White_Tree said:
I’ve discovered that even when there is a screen, the priest still knows who I am, so it doesn’t really matter. The screen is there for your own mental comfort, not because it actually does anything.
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I make a point of going to confession at other parishes. There’s no way the priest knows who I am. Especially if he never sees me. So in fact the screen does do something.
 
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27lw said:
I make a point of going to confession at other parishes. There’s no way the priest knows who I am. Especially if he never sees me. So in fact the screen does do something.
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LOL. I suppose that’s one way to handle it. 🙂

Though I meant the priest can still see you through the screen. Whether he chooses to look is another matter.
 
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I would estimate that 95% or more of my confessions have been face to face. It’s not an issue for me.
 
White_Tree said:
LOL. I suppose that’s one way to handle it. 🙂

Though I meant the priest can still see you through the screen. Whether he chooses to look is another matter.
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I’ve been to confession where “the screen” was a piece of fabric. Can the priest see through that as well? How do you know priests can always see through the screens?
 
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Irishmom2 said:
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27lw:
How do you know priests can always see through the screens?
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If you can see him, he most likely can see you.
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I can’t see him. Because I don’t have x-ray vision. Maybe priests do…🤣
 
27lw said:
've been to confession where “the screen” was a piece of fabric. Can the priest see through that as well? How do you know priests can always see through the screens?
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It depends on the type of screen. Some places they are flimsy. Other places, like one of my local parishes that is using heavy duty free standing barriers out in the church worship space for confession since the coronavirus, it’s so sturdy that I can barely see the outline of a person on the other side of a heavy duty double baffle and I’m sure he would only see the outline of a person looking back.
 
@27lw,
Well, what I meant was if someone can see the priest thru the fabric (if it’s sheer enough) or through the screen (one of those perforated kinds) the priest can probably see you too.

Not being able to see the priest would make me feel like I was talking to a stranger, or to no one.
If Jesus were on the other side of the screen wouldn’t we want to see him?

And to take it a step further, who are we all “hiding” from? God sees all. He knows all of our sins already. If the priest is standing in for Jesus, it seems odd to me that so many people want to be hidden from him.
 
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Swallow my pride and go face-to-face. Even though I loathe it and much prefer a screen, I consider it part of my penance.
 
Irishmom2 said:
Not being able to see the priest would make me feel like I was talking to a stranger, or to no one.
If Jesus were on the other side of the screen wouldn’t we want to see him?

And to take it a step further, who are we all “hiding” from? God sees all. He knows all of our sins already. If the priest is standing in for Jesus, it seems odd to me that so many people want to be hidden from him.
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Yes, I prefer to go to reconciliation with a stranger. A priest who is a stranger. I know he is there because I can hear him speaking to me.
The priest is standing in for Jesus, but he himself is not actually Jesus. In case reconciliation doesn’t go well, or if I become overly emotional, then I don’t have the added human stress of interaction between me and my pastor in the future.
 
I would simply ask for behind the screen, back to back, etc. confession.
 
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