Can you clear up my confusion over this impurity matter?

[bryvans]

Gud day,

I am a young Roman Catholic man. I have known in this forum that masturbation is a mortal sin. I also refer to some Catholic websites and I found the same answer that it is indeed a mortal sin.

However, when I confessed to my parish priest this week that I have committed masturbation, he told me that it is not a mortal sin. He told that it is only a venial sin, but it leads to mortal sin. I told him that some Catholic websites states that masturbation is indeed a mortal sin. but he said those people who said that are conservative.

I also heard from previous priests saying that masturbation is a venial sin.

I am now confused because I don’t know where to go. will I go to the teaching of my confessor or will I go to the teachings of some Catholic websites?

I hope you can enlighten me in this matter. thanks…

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Gud day,

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

"By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. ‘Both the Magisterium of the Church in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action.’ The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose. 'For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of ‘the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved.’

I appeal to the Catechism. This is not merely my opinion as in the case of your parish priest. The Catechism never calls anything that is a venial sin, a gravely disordered action; it only refers to mortal sins in this way. This isn’t merely what some ‘conservative’ Catholic websites teach; it is what the Catholic Church actually and clearly teaches regarding the sin of masturbation. This should finally clear up any confusion you have had with this matter.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.