An Open Letter to Our Confessors
Dear Good and Holy Priests of God,
Please stop taking your smart phones into the confessional with you. Please stop scrolling through your prayers while your penitents attempt to confess their sins.
We understand that the phone serves as your watch, your breviary, and your alarm to tell you when to start getting ready for Mass. That phone also serves as a means to communicate with the outside world. While you may never intend for it to function as a communication device in the confessional, you do not always have the control required to prevent it from doing so.
“Pocket dialing” happens to us all, and many apps continuously “listen” as part of their functionality.
We come to meet and beg the Mercy of Our Lord Jesus. Help us to not be distracted away from this by the profane scrolling glow of a phone screen. Use a real wrist watch, or have a server knock on the door at the prescribed time. Bring your prayer book with you to use in the confessional. Leave your phone in a drawer in the sacristy.
Please guard the seal of confessional!
Begging your blessings,
Penitents