Another "was this a bad confession" question

[timeandeternity]

I went to confession the other day, and during confession, I decided on the spur of the moment to mention a certain sin that I thought might be mortal. I confessed it, but I couldn’t think of how many times I’d done it, so I just left out the number instead of making an approximation.
Was this confession valid?

 

[runningdude]

yes

 

[RPRPsych]

I think it’s definitely valid.

While mentioning the number of times is both conventional and laudable, I don’t think omitting it for honest reasons invalidates a confession. (In some cases, establishing an actual count may be difficult!) Only holding back a sin deliberately - that is, wilfully not mentioning it, despite knowing that it is a mortal sin - would invalidate your confession.

Here’s a passage from the Catholic Encyclopedia that says more or less the same thing:

“Hence, the penitent, who in confession willfully conceals a mortal sin, derives no benefit whatever; on the contrary, he makes void the sacrament and thereby incurs the guilt of sacrilege. If, however, the sin be omitted, not through any fault of the penitent, but through forgetfulness, it is forgiven indirectly; but it must be declared at the next confession and thus submitted to the power of the keys.”

In other words, you’re forgiven - but don’t forget to mention it to your confessor at the next opportunity.

 

[Incomplete]

I went to confession the other day, and during confession, I decided on the spur of the moment to mention a certain sin that I thought might be mortal. I confessed it, but I couldn’t think of how many times I’d done it, so I just left out the number instead of making an approximation.
Was this confession valid?

Your confessor would have asked for more information if he had needed it.

 

[MartyrForJesus]

I went to confession the other day, and during confession, I decided on the spur of the moment to mention a certain sin that I thought might be mortal. I confessed it, but I couldn’t think of how many times I’d done it, so I just left out the number instead of making an approximation.
Was this confession valid?

You serious?

 

[thistle]

I went to confession the other day, and during confession, I decided on the spur of the moment to mention a certain sin that I thought might be mortal. I confessed it, but I couldn’t think of how many times I’d done it, so I just left out the number instead of making an approximation.
Was this confession valid?

Are you saying you not only did not specify the number (because you honestly could not remember) but you did not say you committed the sin more than once, or a few times, or several times, or many times.
Even when you cannot remember how many times you have committed a sin and so cannot give a number you are still obliged to tell the priest if you have committed it more than once.