Q: When can Confession be heard?
A: The Church, in her loving care for the faithful, desires that everyone have abundant opportunities to receive God’s mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Both the Code of Canon Law and the Introduction to the Order of Penance state that pastors are encouraged to make Confession available to all, arranging days and times that are truly convenient for the community and whenever Confession is reasonably sought (Code of Canon Law, can. 986; Order of Penance, 13). The scheduling of confessions should be done at a time that is truly accessible to the faithful, so that they never feel that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is out of reach. Not only does this allow the faithful to receive the grace of God’s mercy, but it also ensures that pastors fulfill their canonical obligation to provide the Sacrament of Penance for the souls entrusted to them.
Some parishes, especially those with multiple priests, offer Confession even during Mass, provided there is a priest available who is not celebrating the Mass. Pope St. John Paul II, in his motu proprio Misericordia Dei, acknowledges that confessions can be heard at such times to better serve the spiritual needs of the faithful (Misericordia Dei, 2). Still, the Church gently reminds us that this should not become the encouraged practice: “The faithful should be encouraged to approach the Sacrament of Penance at a time when Mass is not being celebrated, especially during the scheduled times” (Order of Penance, 13). Both Eucharisticum Mysterium and Redemptionis Sacramentum express the same desire as the Order of Penance—that confessions would be heard outside of Mass. This helps penitents to experience the Sacrament of Penance more deeply and to participate fully in the celebration of the Eucharist, undistracted and united in prayer.
Nonetheless, the Church permits the Sacrament to be offered during the celebration of the Eucharist and even suggests that it could be for the good of souls to offer the Sacrament of Penance during Mass, especially as we live in an age in which the sense of sin has been diminished (see Notitiae 37, 2001).
Q: Where is the appropriate place for confessions to be heard?
A: The Church desires us to experience the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a setting that expresses both the sacredness of the encounter and the dignity of each person who seeks God’s mercy. “The sacrament of Penance is usually celebrated, unless a just cause intervenes, in a church or oratory…. Confessions are not to be heard outside of a confessional without a just cause” (Order of Penance, 12). The confessional itself serves as a visible sign of the Church’s ministry of mercy and forgiveness, providing both a sacred space and privacy for the penitent.
To foster a sacred place and the anonymity of the penitent, the bishops of the United States have established clear norms regarding the confessional: “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” (Complementary Legislation for Canon 964, §2 of the Code of Canon Law). These guidelines help foster a space where hearts can freely experience God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
At the same time, the Church also understands that life sometimes places us in extraordinary situations—such as in hospitals, prisons, or moments of pastoral emergency—when Confession outside the confessional becomes necessary. In such moments, priests act with pastoral care and discernment, always seeking to preserve both the privacy and the sacred nature of the Sacrament. Wherever Confession is celebrated, the Church’s deepest desire is for each person to encounter Christ’s mercy.
—Answered by Father Gabriel Greer, Diocese of Wichita, KS
