Can You Go to Confession Online, by Phone or by Video?

No. A Catholic can't make a sacramental confession online, by phone or by video call: the sacrament needs you and the priest physically present to each other, and in 2020 the Vatican cardinal then in charge of the Apostolic Penitentiary called absolution by phone probably invalid. You can do a lot online to prepare, and if you truly can't reach a priest, the Church teaches what to do in the meantime. Here's why, with the sources.

Is confession over the phone or on Zoom valid?

The Church's answer has been consistent. In 2002, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications wrote in The Church and Internet (February 22, 2002, no. 9) that "there are no sacraments on the Internet."

The question came back during the COVID-19 pandemic, when churches closed and some people asked priests to hear confessions by phone. The answers were clear:

• The U.S. bishops' worship committee (March 27, 2020). Archbishop Leonard Blair, then chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Divine Worship, told the bishops in a memo: "the Sacrament is not to be celebrated via cell phone." He added that phones shouldn't be used even to amplify voices between a priest and penitent who can see each other. He said the answers came from the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship, consulted through the papal nuncio (National Catholic Register, March 30, 2020).
• The head of the Apostolic Penitentiary (December 2020). Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, then head of the Apostolic Penitentiary (the Vatican court for matters of conscience and confession), was asked by L'Osservatore Romano on December 5, 2020, whether a phone or other electronic means could be used for confession. "We can confirm the probable invalidity of the absolution imparted through such means," he said (The Catholic Virginian, December 13, 2020).

"Probable" is a careful word, but the guidance is plain: the sacrament isn't to be celebrated by phone or video, so don't rely on one.

Why does confession have to be in person?

Because the sacrament is an encounter. Cardinal Piacenza's reason was that on a phone call "the real presence of the penitent is lacking." The Catechism explains why that presence matters: in Confession, Christ "personally addresses every sinner," and individual confession with absolution remains "the only ordinary way" to be reconciled with God and the Church (CCC 1484). Canon law says the same, and names a church or oratory as the proper place to hear confessions (cann. 960, 964). It also requires that confessionals with a fixed screen always be available to anyone who wants to stay anonymous (can. 964 §2). Being in the same room doesn't mean being seen.

Because of the seal. The seal admits of no exceptions (CCC 1467); canon law forbids betraying a penitent "for any reason" (can. 983 §1). A priest can guarantee it for words spoken quietly in a confessional. He can't guarantee it for a call that passes through networks, servers and devices he doesn't control. That was the second reason in Archbishop Blair's memo: "Current threats against the seal of confession also raise questions about information on cell phones."

Because only a priest absolves. "A priest alone is the minister of the sacrament of penance" (can. 965). Websites and apps that invite you to "confess online" can be a place to write things down or to pray. They aren't the sacrament, and no app, including AI, can give absolution. We explain the Church's view on AI in what the Church says about AI and Confession.

What about emergencies, when you can't get to a priest?

The Church doesn't leave you stranded. On March 19, 2020, the Apostolic Penitentiary issued a note on the sacrament during the pandemic that sums up the options.

Perfect contrition

If you truly can't receive absolution, the note reminds the faithful that perfect contrition (sorrow that comes from love of God above all) "obtains forgiveness of sins, even mortal ones," when it comes with the firm resolution to go to Confession as soon as possible (the note cites CCC 1452). That resolution is part of it: if you're aware of a mortal sin, you still confess it at your next chance, and until then you don't receive Communion unless there's a grave reason and no way to confess (can. 916). Pray an Act of Contrition slowly, mean it, and plan to confess when you're able. We explain the difference in perfect vs imperfect contrition.

Danger of death

If someone is dying, any priest can absolve them validly, even one who normally lacks the faculty to hear confessions (can. 976), and in danger of death every priest is obliged to hear confessions (can. 986 §2). Call the parish or the hospital chaplain. A priest will come if he possibly can.

General absolution

In rare cases, such as imminent danger of death with no time to hear each person, a priest may absolve many people at once (can. 961). The other case, grave necessity when there are far too few confessors, is for the diocesan bishop to judge. Anyone absolved this way must still intend to confess serious sins individually later (can. 962).

What can you do online?

Quite a lot, as long as it's preparing and not confessing. Our guide to online confession covers the practical side; in short:

• Find a time. Most parishes list confession hours on their website or bulletin. You can also email or call to ask for an appointment.
• Examine your conscience. Use a guide like our examination of conscience, a printed booklet, or an app.
• Learn what to say. Read how to go to Confession so nothing surprises you.
• Talk to a priest. A phone or video call can be real pastoral help: advice, encouragement, setting up a time to meet. It just isn't the sacrament.

Holier is one way to prepare. It's an iPhone app (iOS 17.6 or later; no Android) by Reconciled Software that guides a short examination of conscience each evening as a chat, in the Ignatian examen tradition. Anything you name goes onto a numbered confessional list that opens with "Bless me, Father," which you can read from in the confessional. Your sin list is encrypted on your iPhone with a key that never leaves it. Holier prepares; only a priest absolves, in person. It's free to download, and full use needs a subscription ($7.99 a week, $79.99 a year, or $149.99 once).

Wondering whether reading from your phone is allowed once you're there? It is: see can I read my sins from my phone in Confession? and are confession apps allowed?