A solution in search of a problem: banning reconciliation so-called rooms.
To begin with, I have little patience for confessionals and less for “rooms.” Penance is a sacrament and the celebration of it, ordinarily, belongs in a chapel. Unless it is celebrated in a church for either form III, II, or even I.
(Non-confessionals), rather than separating the priest from the kneeling penitent, places the parishioner face to face with the priest, a position not unlike that of a patient and therapist, a symbolism reinforced by décor often resembling a psychiatrist’s office.
Office décor would be truly problematic. As I think to the spaces in my recent parishes, the last two would qualify as chapels, though the present one is mostly dark. The one before that is presented as a mini-building of sorts adjacent to a large narthex. (Imaged, right.)
I actually wonder if traditional confessionals (“box” in church colloquia) are more of a danger. A predator need not have a visual connection to a victim, as stories about online stalking inform us. I have no recollection of bad experiences in the “box,” but I have heard from others who have had “Creepy” experiences of priests digging for salacious details, especially when it comes to sex.
I found it interesting that Mr Bootsma, in his appeal for tradition, seems unaware of the sin-therapy practice of some “modern” confessors. I remember a school guidance counsellor probing for details about my high-school sex life. I gave curt answers, as I’d been warned of that religious brother’s inclination to talk enthusiastically about sex.
I don’t think I’d advocate for the omission of either boxes or rooms. But a nice side chapel would seem to fit the bill for current circumstances.
The Eastern practice of having the penitent confess before an icon of Christ off to the side in the main church is an attractive option. I suppose in a Catholic Church one could set up a crucifix or Icon upon the main altar and confess before it. Of course, both of these option practices tend to negate the ability to confess anonymously.
A penitent could still confess separated by a screen. In form II I always set up an option for that. But given the Saturday afternoon lines at my church, nobody is really anonymous.