This refers to the Roman Catholic practice. For the Lutheran doctrinal position, see Confessional Lutheran, for Bryan Rice album see Confessional (album) To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Confessional is the first album by Danish pop singer Bryan Rice. ...

Traditional confessional in the church of Thann, France

Confessional is a small, enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called confession, or Reconciliation. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church, but similar structures are also used in Anglican churches of an Anglo-Catholic orientation. In the Catholic Church, confessions are only to be heard in a confessional or oratory, except for a just reason (1983 Code of Canon Law, Canon 964.3). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1920x2560, 784 KB) Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file: Confessional ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1920x2560, 784 KB) Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file: Confessional ... Position of Thann Thann is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Haut-Rhin département, in France. ... In criminal proceedings, a confession is a document in which a suspect admits having committed a crime. ... Confession of sins is part of the Christian faith and practice. ... Look up reconcile in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... ... Oratory is the art of eloquent speech. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ...

Traditional Confessionals

Confessionals in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain

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. Kneelers are provided in the compartments on each side of the priest, sometimes a prie-dieu 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 567 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Confessional Metadata This... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 567 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Confessional Metadata This... The Obradoiro façade of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela: an all-but-Gothic composition generated entirely of classical details Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is situated in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. ... Kneeler is a piece of furniture used for resting in a kneeling position. ... The prie-dieu, literally pray God, is type of prayer desk primarily intended for private use, but often found in churches of the European continent. ...

Modern, post-Vatican II Confessionals

Modern confessional in the Church of the Holy Name, Dunedin, New Zealand. The penitent may kneel on the kneeler or sit in a chair facing the priest (not shown)

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, 72). 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (461 × 614 pixel, file size: 75 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took this photo myself on the 15th of March at the Church of the Holy Name, Dunedin, New Zealand I, the creator... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (461 × 614 pixel, file size: 75 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took this photo myself on the 15th of March at the Church of the Holy Name, Dunedin, New Zealand I, the creator... Dunedin (Ōtepoti in Maori) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. ... The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ...

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 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. Many modern confessionals, and even some older, traditional ones, will often have two lights outside, which can be controlled by the priest from inside. A green light shows that a priest is in the confessional and he is available for confession, whereas a red light shows that a penitent is in there and parishioners should keep away from it 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. The Act of Contrition is a prayer recited by the penitent during the Latin Rite Roman Catholic sacrament of Confession. ...