The musty confines of the traditional wooden confessional will give way to glass boxes in an effort by the Catholic Church in England and Wales to prevent child sex abuse.
Confessor and priest will be visible during the act of contrition but the booths will be soundproofed, a church spokeswoman told Reuters on Tuesday.
The move comes after a series of sex scandals involving Catholic priests and all 83 recommendations made after a year-long probe will be implemented by bishops in England and Wales.
The Nolan inquiry was set up after 21 out of 5,600 Catholic priests in England and Wales were convicted of child abuse between 1995 and 1999.
The edict will apply to all new churches but the spokeswoman was unsure if older buildings would be modified.
“If priests are in parishes where there is a possibility of closed doors they’re going to want to do something about that,” she said.
“Nobody’s going to want to voluntarily keep these potential time bombs.”
Under the recommendations each parish will be obliged to appoint a child protection representative and a child protection coordinator would be appointed for all dioceses, religious orders and seminaries, the spokeswoman said.
The final report will be discussed by bishops in the northern English city of Leeds in November, she added.