Is it allowed to do confession on the phone? You see, my Lord, I believe that in this period of solitude, we can go deep in our hearts and minds and recall sins, especially mortal sins we committed but never confessed. As a matter of urgency, how can we receive this Sacrament of Reconciliation when we cannot physically see the priest? Christian Dugan
Answer:
In my book, Catholicism Made Easy: Responses to 150 Questions on the Catholic Faith, Vol. I (St. Francis Press: Takoradi, 2018) pp. 25-27, I answered a similar question. I will here reproduce the answer given in the book and add something at the end in an Addendum.
Question by Hippolyt:
My Lord. I have a question on going to confession. Does one have to go to confession face to face with a priest or can it be done remotely, say via the phone? I ask this because my son who is a final year computer science student at KNUST has developed a chat application which he says can host a confessional i.e. a private, encrypted space where a priest can safely “hear” confessions from desiring people via chat and possibly voice engagement.
The chat will be erased automatically as soon as the person leaves the confessional so there is no fear of documentary evidence being held by the priest. Given the declaration of the jubilee year of mercy, I thought this would be a great way to afford people who may not have regular access to a priest to benefit from the jubilee. Albert is willing to make a presentation and a demonstration of the software if you so desire.
Answer:
Dear Hippolyt, let me begin by congratulating your son Albert on his great achievement. It is great that he has been able to create a private, encrypted space that can be used for private or confidential matters. I certainly would love to have a demonstration of this software. I am sure it could be used in some very confidential situations.
However, I am afraid that the Church will not permit the use of such an application for the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The 1983 Code of Canon Law states: “The proper place to hear sacramental confessions is a church or oratory”. Moreover, according to Canon 964, “Confessions are not to be heard outside a confessional without a just cause”.
The Pontifical Council on Social Communications on The Church and Internet says: “Virtual reality is no substitute for the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the sacramental reality of the other sacraments, and shared worship in a flesh-and-blood human community. There are no sacraments on the Internet; and even the religious experiences possible there by the grace of God are insufficient apart from real-world interaction with other persons of faith”.
According to the Church, absolution long-distance via technology is invalid. Many years ago there was a response given to a question about absolution communicated via telegraph (which shows how long ago it was!). The Church said that such an absolution would be invalid. Some time later, there was a question about telephone. The answer was the same: Invalid. If such a question were submitted today, the answer would be the same. You cannot receive absolution via skype or internet chat or video phone calls, etc. That includes text messages.
Confession held on the telephone or by e-mail is not permitted by the Church for a couple of reasons. First, the sacrament of confession is a personal encounter with Jesus in which he personally addresses every sinner: “My son, your sins are forgiven”. He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion.
Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church (cf. CCC 1484). It is important for the penitent to accuse himself of sins in the presence of the minister of the Church acting in the person of Christ who is judge; there is the personal nature of the encounter with the Lord who is Mercy itself.
Second, maintaining secrecy is essential. The “Church declares that every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him” (CCC 1467). E-mail, the Internet, and telephones are never completely private.
There are also practical reasons: certainty about the person of the confessor, the penitent, issues of faculties across even continents, security of not being overheard, etc.
There is a possibility of contracting marriage long distance, or even via proxy, but not any other sacrament. Just as you cannot receive holy Communion, confirmation, baptism, anointing of the sick, holy orders, etc., over the phone, the Internet, or Skype, you cannot go to confession over the phone, and not just because secrecy is not absolutely guaranteed, but because a sacrament is to be given and received personally.
Hippolyt, I applaud your desire to facilitate the practice of confession, but it is unlikely that the Holy See will approve the use of a mobile application for confession. Rather, as Pope Francis is demonstrating by his own action, priests need to facilitate the Sacrament of Reconciliation by being more available for the faithful, and not just one hour before Mass on Saturdays. For this reason, the Pope has asked cardinals and bishops working in the Vatican to go out to the local parishes to hear confessions for some hours every week, especially on weekdays at convenient times for the faithful!
Addendum
Let me add that during a Mass on 20 March 2020 that was livestreamed from the Vatican, Pope Francis said people who cannot manage to go to confession as a result of being locked down because of the coronavirus or another serious issue, can confess directly to God. He said, “But many people today would tell me, ‘Father, where can I find a priest, a confessor, because I can’t leave the house? And I want to make peace with the Lord, I want him to embrace me, I want the Father’s embrace’”.
The pope said his response would be, “Do what the Catechism (of the Catholic Church) says. It is very clear: If you cannot find a priest to confess to, speak directly with God, your father, and tell him the truth. Say, ‘Lord, I did this, this, this. Forgive me,’ and ask for pardon with all your heart.” Make an act of contrition, the pope said, and promise God, “‘I will go to confession afterwards, but forgive me now’.
And immediately you will return to a state of grace with God”. He added, “This is the right time, the opportune moment. An act of contrition done well, and our souls will become white like the snow”, the pope said. “Return to your father who is waiting for you”, he continued.
“The God of tenderness will heal us; He will heal us of the many, many wounds of life and the many ugly things we have done. Each of us has our own!” I have added a Youtube video of one Fr. Mike Smith on the topic, “Can I go to Confession over the Phone?”
Source: Most Rev. Joseph Osei- Bonsu – Catholic Bishop of Konongo- Mampong Diocese
