Confession - how much detail

[Prince_Hal]

I am not Catholic, but hope to be. A perfect confession needs to be made before baptism / confirmation. I know this has to do with sincerity. But, how detailed does the confession need to be ? Do you need to spell out the sins for example in detail ? You know all the gory details, or do you need to just give general categories. Can anyone give me any examples of the details of what might be said ?

Many thanks Hal.

 

[jmcrae]

I am not Catholic, but hope to be. A perfect confession needs to be made before baptism / confirmation. I know this has to do with sincerity. But, how detailed does the confession need to be ? Do you need to spell out the sins for example in detail ? You know all the gory details, or do you need to just give general categories. Can anyone give me any examples of the details of what might be said ?

Many thanks Hal.

Enugh detail to show what happened, but no, not the “gory details” unless they are relevant to showing what kind of sin was committed.

If you did something repeatedly, give one example of what you did.

For example, “Between the ages of 15 and 18, I often broke my curfew. One time I stayed out so late that I had to pretend I had the flu the next day, so that I could sleep during the day.”

 

[John_Lilburne]

I am not Catholic, but hope to be. A perfect confession needs to be made before baptism / confirmation. …

No confession needs to be made before baptism. The sacrament of baptism forgives all sins. Without the sacrament of baptism, one cannot receive the sacrament of confession.

“263. What are the effects of Baptism? …
Baptism takes away original sin, all personal sins and all punishment due to sin. …”.

From the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church at vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html .

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I am not Catholic, but hope to be. A perfect confession needs to be made before baptism / confirmation. I know this has to do with sincerity. But, how detailed does the confession need to be ? Do you need to spell out the sins for example in detail ? You know all the gory details, or do you need to just give general categories. Can anyone give me any examples of the details of what might be said ?

Many thanks Hal.

If you haven’t been baptized you won’t have to go to confession immediately since baptism wipes out all your sins. Isn’t that wonderful!

If you have been baptized and need to make your First Communion and be confirmed, then confession will come before these other sacraments.

When you confess you need to give enough information so that the priest knows what you’re talking about and can offer advice along with absolution. You should also explain anything that would change the nature of the sin.

There’s a difference between “I stole a piece of candy from a self-serve display at the store” and “I repeatedly stole money from my employer.”

In general, though, you can say whatever you think is sufficient and if the priest has questions he’ll ask you.