Coptic Pope Bans Confessionals Over the Telephone

The Coptic Pope in Egypt, Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria has issued a ban on priests taking confessions over the telephone for fear that the government's security agents may be bugging the phone lines. 

"Confessions over the telephone are forbidden, because there is a chance the telephones are monitored and the confessions will reach state security," the Al-Masri Al-Yom newspaper quoted Pope Shenuda III as saying.

The habit of phoning in confessions is a new one, going back only a few years. 

Pope Shenuda has also banned the monks in Coptic monasteries from using mobile phones when in the monastery.

"The monk is supposed to be secluded from the world. But the mobile phone brings the world to him," said the Pope, adding that monastery administrators were allowed to keep their phones for the business of the monastery.

Posted to the site on 30th December 2008