Confessional
Encyclopedia
A confessional is a small, enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...

, or Reconciliation. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

, but similar structures are also used in Anglican churches of an Anglo-Catholic orientation, and also in the Lutheran
Confession in the Lutheran Church
In the Lutheran Church, Confession is the method given by Christ to the Church by which individual men and women may receive the forgiveness of sins; according to the Large Catechism, the "third sacrament" of Holy Absolution is properly viewed as an extension of Holy Baptism.-Beliefs:The Lutheran...

 Church. In the Catholic Church, confessions are only to be heard in a confessional or oratory
Oratory (worship)
An oratory is a Christian room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.-Catholic church:In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass...

, except for a just reason (1983 Code of Canon Law, Canon 964.3).

Traditional confessionals

The priest and penitent are in separate compartments and speak to each other through a grid or lattice. A crucifix is sometimes hung over the grille. The priest will usually sit in the middle and the penitents will enter the compartments to either side of him. The priest can close off the other compartment by a sliding screen so that only one person will be confessing at a time. Kneeler
Kneeler
Kneeler is a piece of furniture used for resting in a kneeling position.-Prayer kneeler:In many churches, pews are equipped with kneelers in front of the seating bench so members of the congregation can kneel on them instead of the floor...

s are provided in the compartments on each side of the priest, sometimes a prie-dieu
Prie-dieu
A prie-dieu is a type of prayer desk primarily intended for private devotional use, but also often found in churches of the European continent. It is a small ornamental wooden desk furnished with a sloping shelf for books, and a cushioned pad on which to kneel. Sometimes, instead of the sloping...

 style kneeler, or sometimes a diagonal kneeler built into the walls of the confessional. Confessions and conversations are usually whispered. Sometimes a confessional will be built into the church walls and have separate doors for each compartment; other confessionals can be free-standing structures where curtains are used to conceal penitents (and even the priest in some confessionals) from the rest of the church.

Modern, post-Vatican II Confessionals

After Vatican II, the Sacrament of Penance was revised so that it more clearly expresses both the nature and effect of the sacrament (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 73). To facilitate this, face-to-face confession has been allowed. To accommodate this new form of the sacrament, many confessionals now comprise just one room. There is a screen and a kneeler to kneel on so the penitent can confess anonymously, but there is also a chair that the penitent may sit on and face the priest. In some confessionals, there may also be a chair behind the kneeler so that penitents who, due to old age or medical conditions, cannot kneel, can sit but still confess anonymously.

The screen may be anything from a curtain to a section of wall with a grille inserted in it. Sometimes the penitent may be able to see the priest through the screen, but the priest can usually never see the penitent. Often placed on the kneeler is a plaque with the Act of Contrition
Act of Contrition
An act of contrition is a Catholic prayer that expresses sorrow for sins. It may be used in a liturgical service or be used privately, especially in connection with an examination of conscience....

written on it. There may also be other materials associated with the sacrament, such as a card containing the order of the sacrament, with prayers and other useful information. A crucifix or cross might be placed above the screen or anywhere near the penitent to aid in prayer. Many modern confessionals, and even some older, traditional ones, will often have two or three lights outside, which can be controlled by the priest from inside, or are automatic (activated when by the penitent by kneeling on the kneeler or in some other manner). A green light above the priest's location shows that a he is in the confessional and he is available for confession, whereas a red light above the penitent/s area/s shows that it is already occupied and that parishioners should keep away from it so as not to overhear something. If it is necessary to walk by a confessional, it is considered polite to cover one's ear with one's hand, to show respect for the sanctity of the confessional. This is a pious practice even when no-one is in the confessional.
In some churches, the confessional is sometimes a room in the church with the screen and kneeler available so it may be used as a confessional, but when no confessions are being heard, the screen can be folded back so it can be used for other purposes.
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