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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Knowing the parishioners	Chas	Monday, June 1, 2009
Question: My understanding of the confessional is that a priest cannot use anything he hears in secrecy. I heard a priest once say that the way he gets to know his parishioners is through confession. He does not give the penitent the option of face to face or behind a screen. All of his confessions are face to face. He says that way he knows who they are and gets to know their problems. I thought that what was heard in the confessional stayed in the confessional. Isn't this priest in a sense using outside the confessional what he hears in secrecy? Needless to say there are very few people that go to him for confession.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Chas: This priest has no right to not offer confession behind a screen. He is breaking Church law. He needs to be confronted on this, and the Bishop informed if he refuses to follow Church law. Canon 964.1 The proper place for hearing sacramental confessions is a church or oratory. .2 As far as the confessional is concerned, norms are to be issued by the Episcopal Conference, with the proviso however that confessionals, which the faithful who so wish may freely use, are located in an open place, and fitted with a fixed grille between the penitent and the confessor. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Episcopal Conference of the U.S., reaffirmed this Canon: Provision must be made in each church or oratory for a sufficient number of places for sacramental confessions which are clearly visible, truly accessible, and which provide a fixed grille between the penitent and the confessor. Provision should also be made for penitents who wish to confess face-to-face, with due regard for the Authentic Interpretation of canon 964§2 by the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, 7 July 1998 (AAS 90 [1998] 711). The Confessional is not to be used to get acquainted with the parishioners. The purpose of the Sacrament is to present one's sins to God through the priest with contrition and to receive absolution when a good confession is made. As for secrecy, the priest may not reveal the content of a confession to others, even to other priests, the bishop, or the Pope. The fact that he is deliberately trying to "remember" the confessions does not break the seal of confession as it is not revealing anything to another person. But, priest are not suppose to deliberately try to remember the content of confessions. I would write a business-like letter to express your concerns about this to the priest. If he does not change his ways, then I would write another business-like letter to the bishop and include copies of all correspondence with the priest, or objective summaries of verbal discussions about all this. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Knowing the parishioners

Chas

Monday, June 1, 2009

Question:

My understanding of the confessional is that a priest cannot use anything he hears in secrecy. I heard a priest once say that the way he gets to know his parishioners is through confession.

He does not give the penitent the option of face to face or behind a screen. All of his confessions are face to face. He says that way he knows who they are and gets to know their problems.

I thought that what was heard in the confessional stayed in the confessional. Isn't this priest in a sense using outside the confessional what he hears in secrecy? Needless to say there are very few people that go to him for confession.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Chas:

This priest has no right to not offer confession behind a screen. He is breaking Church law. He needs to be confronted on this, and the Bishop informed if he refuses to follow Church law.

Canon 964.1 The proper place for hearing sacramental confessions is a church or oratory.
.2 As far as the confessional is concerned, norms are to be issued by the Episcopal Conference, with the proviso however that confessionals, which the faithful who so wish may freely use, are located in an open place, and fitted with a fixed grille between the penitent and the confessor.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Episcopal Conference of the U.S., reaffirmed this Canon:

Provision must be made in each church or oratory for a sufficient number of places for sacramental confessions which are clearly visible, truly accessible, and which provide a fixed grille between the penitent and the confessor. Provision should also be made for penitents who wish to confess face-to-face, with due regard for the Authentic Interpretation of canon 964§2 by the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, 7 July 1998 (AAS 90 [1998] 711).

The Confessional is not to be used to get acquainted with the parishioners. The purpose of the Sacrament is to present one's sins to God through the priest with contrition and to receive absolution when a good confession is made.

As for secrecy, the priest may not reveal the content of a confession to others, even to other priests, the bishop, or the Pope. The fact that he is deliberately trying to "remember" the confessions does not break the seal of confession as it is not revealing anything to another person.

But, priest are not suppose to deliberately try to remember the content of confessions.

I would write a business-like letter to express your concerns about this to the priest. If he does not change his ways, then I would write another business-like letter to the bishop and include copies of all correspondence with the priest, or objective summaries of verbal discussions about all this.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum