Was the Sacrament of Confession over the phone allowed during COVID?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, a clear distinction must be made between pastoral counseling/unburdening of sins and the Sacrament of Repentance and Confession itself.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, while many priests heard confessions or offered spiritual counseling over the phone as a matter of urgent pastoral care, the Sacrament itself cannot be completed virtually or over the phone.

1. Sacramental Theology and Physical Presence

The Sacraments (Mysteries) of the Church are incarnational. Just as Christ took real, physical flesh, the Holy Mysteries require physical reality and presence:

• In the Sacrament of Confession, the penitent kneels before the priest, and the priest places the Cross (and his hand) upon the head of the penitent to pronounce the Prayer of Absolution.
• Sacramental grace and the laying on of hands cannot be transmitted through telecommunications, internet lines, or phone signals.

2. Pastoral Practice During the Pandemic

Because of strict lockdowns, quarantine mandates, and the closure of churches, the Holy Synod and diocesan bishops instructed priests to maintain close contact with their congregations. Under these exceptional circumstances:

• Pastoral Listening: Priests were permitted to hear the repentance, struggles, and sins of their spiritual children over the phone so that the faithful would not be left spiritually stranded or despair in isolation.
• The Absolution: The actual sacramental completion—the physical prayer of absolution with the laying on of hands—was reserved for when the person could meet the priest in person. In many places, priests arranged brief, physically distanced, or outdoor in-person encounters specifically to read the absolution over the penitent once they had already confessed.
• Repentance Before God: The faithful were encouraged to maintain a spirit of continuous personal repentance before God directly in their personal prayers until the full sacramental life of the Church could be resumed.

Therefore, while phone conversations served as a temporary pastoral economy (oikonomia) for confessing sins and receiving guidance during the height of the crisis, the Church does not recognize the phone or digital media as a valid medium for the administration of the Holy Mystery of Absolution.