A few days ago, Most Rev. Leonard P. Blair, Archbishop of Hartford CT and Chairman of the US bishops' Committee on Divine Worship. ruled that administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation -- the one we Traditionalists call "Confession" -- by cellphone is not permissible according to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
In a memo to his fellow bishops, the prelate said he was informed by Archbishop Arthur Roche, secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican, that using a cellphone for the sacrament poses a threat against the seal of confession.
Even the use of a cellphone to help amplify the voices of a confessor and penitent who can see each other is not allowed, the memo said. In this video, Father Mike Schmitz explains why not. It's all about "matter".
In his March 27th memo, Archbishop Blair also said that in regard to anointing of the sick, the duty cannot be delegated to someone else, such as a doctor or nurse. Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he noted, however, that when it is not possible for a priest to administer the sacrament of reconciliation, it is appropriate for a someone to seek absolution from sin by offering a "perfect contrition, coming from the love of God."
Such contrition, the catechism continues, "expressed by a sincere request for forgiveness...and accompanied by 'votum confessionis', that is, by the firm resolution to have recourse, as soon as possible, to sacramental confession, obtains forgiveness of sins, even mortal ones." The same standard, he wrote, can be applied to the sacrament of the sick.
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