Confession

emmadas

Due to coronavirua I don't believe it's possible to do confession how would we confess. I was thinking phone but I remember Pope Shenouda saying phone confession is not accepted what do we do?

mabsoota

ask your confession father what to do!

(it is above my pay grade)

minatasgeel

You can probably confess in the sense that you'd speak your sins to abouna on the phone, and then when you do come to take communion next, you'd receive the absolution from abouna.

ShareTheLord

During extraneous circumstances, your father of confession may allow phone/video call confession. I do so with my father of confession for example. I am aware of bishops who have allowed this in their Diocese.

minatasgeel

Well the main reason for that is the mystical act here is not the hearing of sins, but the absolution that comes from the priest. 

ShareTheLord

The priest prays it out loud over the phone ;)

Jojo_Hanna

Lol, how about Communion?

Jojo_Hanna

From what I know, there’s no app for that...

ShareTheLord

Not sure what you mean, the question is about confession during extrenuous circumstances. Not sure if the comment was meant to sarcastically respond to my response. But my response is a response representing the voice of several fathers I know and bishops I have personally discussed this matter with. In the end, the OP (and anyone who has the same question) is simply recommended to discuss with their FOC.

Jojo_Hanna

What follows the sacrament of Confession and Repentance is the sacrament of the Eucharist.
So I’m a jokingly manner, I was implying that since you are to both together, how would that be possible, considering our current situation.

Jojo_Hanna

Also, HH Pope Shenouda III always taught and warned congregants about confessing over the phone... (It’s a matter of opinions and preferences, to be quite exact)

ShareTheLord

That is fair. HH recommendation is definitely true and accurate, but this does not apply for extraneous and exceptional circumstances as is the current times. 

Look at it from another perspective. The sacrament of confession is a sacrament that has its own authority and validity independently from communion, though communion comes to complete the sinners life of repentance. If church were open, a person confesses on a regular manner of, let's say, 4 weeks. A person typically sins in between - and theoretically the person should not approach communion in sin without confession. But we overlook this as saying this is due to the priests schedule who cannot accommodate for the amount of confessions. As such, the repentant confesses as regularly as possible and it is counted to him as deemed acceptable to approach communion. 

Now this 'deeming acceptable' is flipped (in my opinion). A person confesses as regularly as possible until He may commune. We definitely cannot say, confession has no value or efficacy without communion.

If the church closes for 4 weeks and no one confesses, the priest won't have time to take all the confessions all at once. Was there anyway for a person to confess beforehand? In this case, yes. Over the phone. Though it is not preferred, it does not diminish it efficiency. For what absolves the repentant and washes the sins? The cross on the head? The presence church? The words uttered out of the mouth of the priest? Or the power of the Holy Spirit? Or a combination of all? Whatever it is - the most important element is the power  and invocation of the Holy Spirit who is beyond space and time. The repentant then communes at his first occasion as he usually does. Whether this is in 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 2 months, 1 year, he will be ready and have done his effort. Whatever it is, God will count it all as righteousness for the persons honesty and willingness to do all that they can. Furthermore, the monastic fathers teach that we should not like staying in sin, but rather confess as many times as possible - daily if even possible.This is not a period to hold on to semantics but rather to try to administer whatever we can, whenever we can, however we can -while maintaining the reverence and sanctity of the sacrament. In the end, we pray God interacts with us and unites with us in a way we cannot comprehend as we try to express our faith in any way possible, as we are prevented of expressing our faith the way He requested us. This does not stop us from trying nonetheless.Take it all as just my opinion, but this is how I see things at this time.

Jojo_Hanna

@ShareTheLord

I really admire all of what you said.

Our Church needs more servants like you :)

God Bless your services