Internet Confessions

[Pontifite 7 of 10]

Do you think sins can be forgiven in a confession over the internet?

[Resurrexi]

OF course not.

[Groo the Wanderer]

No need for debate. The answer is no.


One thing to remember is the sanctity of the confessional. I can guarantee ya - NOTHING is truly private or confidential on the iNet.

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

Looked into this back when I was looking for an easy way out. The answer, of course, is no.

[Maggyie]

I know the answer is Nah... don't know the exact theological reason why it is Nah...

[jckinsman]

NO WAY! If they can't be done over the phone they can't be done over the internet! How do you know its even a TRUE PRIEST!???? JC

[kateri05]

"laying on of hands" is part of the sacrament. no good on the phone/internet/etc

[Aloysius]

just to add a dynamic to this debate:

can sins be confessed over such a mode of communication, and then absolved in person? for instance, say some brillian priest came up with the idea of making confession more accessable and offered the oppurtunity of people emailing them a list of their sins; then advice is emailed as needed and at a specific time they come to receive absolution.

it may open itself to abuses and make it unwise in some ways, but it would seem to me that such a system would make for a valid sacrament.

[Aloysius]

[quote name='kateri05' post='1255879' date='Apr 25 2007, 01:13 AM']"laying on of hands" is part of the sacrament. no good on the phone/internet/etc [/quote]
if that were true I'd have not made a valid confession in my life.

it's more of the presence than the hands; the priest has had hands laid on him, and by extension has been breathed upon by Christ. his presence is necessary to absolve, but not physical contact.

[Guest Evanescence]

[color="#0000FF"]I say...
It's about time you get off your computer and go outside once in a while.

A better reason would be... there would be a risk of breaking the sacred seal of confession over the internet (since nothing is completely secure) as well as non Catholics having a joke out of it and abusing the system on the internet (you wouldn't know who it really is on the other end).

Evanescence
[/color]

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

[quote name='Aloysius' post='1255884' date='Apr 25 2007, 12:26 AM']just to add a dynamic to this debate:

can sins be confessed over such a mode of communication, and then absolved in person? for instance, say some brillian priest came up with the idea of making confession more accessable and offered the oppurtunity of people emailing them a list of their sins; then advice is emailed as needed and at a specific time they come to receive absolution.

it may open itself to abuses and make it unwise in some ways, but it would seem to me that such a system would make for a valid sacrament.[/quote]
An opinion:
I think there is a dimension to in-person confession (way the person sounds, movements, etc.) that would be lost that could give the priest better insight as to the person's struggles. There is no emotion, crying, or the like in an email either. Would kill the sacrament!

[thessalonian]

The Church has said that confession must be auricular (voice must be given to sins) and it must be personal (so the telephone has already been ruled out. The answer is no and it will not change I am certain.

[Katholikos]

The Church says the priest and the penitent must be present to each another. Period. Any opinions to the contrary are null and void. The Church's teaching is final. A priest can hear confessions only when he has faculties to do so from a bishop. Ain't gonna happen.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='thessalonian' post='1256016' date='Apr 25 2007, 09:02 AM']The Church has said that confession must be auricular (voice must be given to sins) and it must be personal (so the telephone has already been ruled out. The answer is no and it will not change I am certain.[/quote]
Yes.


I think, too, that there is something really powerful in the spoken word when it comes to dealing with sins.

[N/A Gone]

Even the non sacramental aspect, that is the broken openess of confession, would not exist in writing. I can write whatever I want, but i am not as open and exposed as in confession. Now, I drive out of state to a priest that is dear to me in La Crosse. He does not have a confessional booth, but we go into his office close the door and talk, we perform the rite, and we council. Often there are tears, and that is somehting I crave when I go without confession. It is a real edifying and beautfiul thing. Net-confession lacks that.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='Revprodeji' post='1256080' date='Apr 25 2007, 11:29 AM']Even the non sacramental aspect, that is the broken openess of confession, would not exist in writing. I can write whatever I want, but i am not as open and exposed as in confession. Now, I drive out of state to a priest that is dear to me in La Crosse. He does not have a confessional booth, but we go into his office close the door and talk, we perform the rite, and we council. Often there are tears, and that is somehting I crave when I go without confession. It is a real edifying and beautfiul thing. Net-confession lacks that.[/quote]
I totally agree ... I think that what's beautiful about it is it emphasizes the relational impact that sin has on our lives. It's easy to think that my personal sin affects only me, but being forced to talk about my sin in a relational exchange emphasizes the fact that sin creates rifts between us and other people and between us and God. Then there is the beautiful picture of the restoration of the relationship with God -- I love that aspect of confession so much, the reconciliation, of knowing I am back in fellowship with my Creator. It's good to know that I can get that kind of forgiveness from him, even if my brothers and sisters are not always so generous.

[Aloysius]

I agree... just pushing buttons to clarify the exact reasons; ie is it only that the absolution must be done in-person or must the actual material confession of the sin also be done in-person.

so if the confession of sins must be by voice; and the absolution must be in-person; what of confessing your sins to a priest over the phone and then coming in to receive absolution, would that be valid? is all that is necessary that the priest know what sins he is absolving, or must the word of the penitent be done in-person as well as the word of absolution?

again, I totally agree that it's not a good idea, just think these are interesting little probes to understand the nature of the sacrament; and while tears may be good they do not necessarily speak to the sacrament's nature; just like the feeling one gets after communion is all well and good but the nature of the sacrament is not affected if one does not have that feeling.

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

Everyone look at canon 960:
[url="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3F.HTM"]http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3F.HTM[/url]

What are the other means?

[Socrates]

[quote name='thedude' post='1256013' date='Apr 25 2007, 08:49 AM']An opinion:
I think there is a dimension to in-person confession (way the person sounds, movements, etc.) that would be lost that could give the priest better insight as to the person's struggles. There is no emotion, crying, or the like in an email either. Would kill the sacrament! [/quote]
Just to clarify (though I'm pretty sure I know what you mean), emotion, crying and the like is irrelevent to the validity of Confession or any other Sacrament (though at least imperfect contrition is necessary - i.e. sorrow for one's sins and purpose of ammendment).

Otherwise, what everybody else said - the Church has already ruled against the validity of any kind of "distance" sacramental confession (by telephone, mail, and the like), and internet "confession" would clearly fall under the same category.

[N/A Gone]

We dont know but something "happens" when in person. I wouldnt risk losing that.