I think the real reason face-to-face confessions are the path less chosen is due to the shame of sin. This is my view of it, not speaking for the Church, so if I err, forgive me. The ability to confess your worst sins to a man committed to serve the LORD Jesus Christ for all his days above all else, who will never betray your confession to his dying day, who is your witness before God and wants you to be saved, who believes in the Scriptural requirements for repentance and forgiveness, who in faith and by faith will pronounce you forgiven according to the Scriptures, is a beautiful grace extended to you.
You are correct in part about the example of a hair trigger reaction to met mom. She was ignorant of the opportunity and did not use the word "liar." She was wrong and only merited instructive correction. The Holy Spirit cannot be pleased with our pettiness. Where you were wrong was to label her a "Christian" and the other faith as the "RC religion." You should name both denominations, if at all, or label both Christian in this case.
Did you ever think that a priest might be a drunk(or worse) and confesses your sin all around town?
I appreciate your admonition against "pettiness", but question the pettiness of your scolding me because I somehow "labeled" incorrectly. I don't know Metmom's "denomination" nor do I consider it germane to this discussion. I believe that she IS a Christian as we have had many conversations over the years outside of Free Republic. That some Roman Catholics here are also Christians is something I cannot know with the same certainty. We have already stated that certain people in ANY denomination that is thought of as Christian doesn't necessarily mean that they really are, as being a member of a church is not what makes one a Christian.
A final thought...I was talking about "some" Roman Catholics who wrongly accuse another Christian of lying. That statement alone DOES presume the RC is a Christian, else I would not have used the word "another".