Confession validity issues - Please help

[timmyo]

I’ve seen some posts on here regarding my question that are similar, but don’t quite match my questions exactly. I confessed many years ago some sexual sins and I did not go into detail with the priest, and I remember him not wanting details on a few occassions. The sins I confessed involved multiple sins of impurity, some of them committed at the same time as the others. I don’t want to go into any more detail than that with you, so I hope you know what I am getting at. Now I simply said “I committed sins of impurity with myself and with my girlfriend x number of times”. I did not go into any more detail than that. In my heart, I was sorry for every little detail of all of my sins, but I did not list specific sins (ie fornication,etc, etc) to the priest. Was the confession valid?

Another question I have is in regards to withholding mortal sins in the confessional. I know it is a mortal sin itself to withhold mortal sins, but does the withholding of the mortal sins render the entire confession invalid? Do you have to re-confess all of your sins again? What if you were unaware of the consequences when you did this?

 

[urquhart]

Your confession was valid, and if you received absolution you have been forgiven.

Intentionally withholding mortal in confession would indeed be a new sin, but it would not render the entire confession invalid.

But the best place to ask these questions is in the confessional, and I suggest you do that.

 

[baltobetsy]

urquhart:

Intentionally withholding mortal in confession would indeed be a new sin, but it would not render the entire confession invalid.

Actually, it does render the entire confession invalid. I remember a picture in my catechism from childhood that showed a child going into the confessional with two big sins, withholding one on purpose and coming out with three big sins.

Think of it this way: Each mortal sin kills the life of Christ in the soul. If you intentionally omit a mortal sin in confession, you are still spiritually dead. You can’t be partially dead - so you can’t have only part of your mortal sins forgiven and have the sacrament of penance be valid. You must confess every mortal sin of which you are aware in order for the sacrament to be valid.

Betsy

 

[tuopaolo]

timmyo:

I’ve seen some posts on here regarding my question that are similar, but don’t quite match my questions exactly. I confessed many years ago some sexual sins and I did not go into detail with the priest, and I remember him not wanting details on a few occassions. The sins I confessed involved multiple sins of impurity, some of them committed at the same time as the others. I don’t want to go into any more detail than that with you, so I hope you know what I am getting at. Now I simply said “I committed sins of impurity with myself and with my girlfriend x number of times”. I did not go into any more detail than that. In my heart, I was sorry for every little detail of all of my sins, but I did not list specific sins (ie fornication,etc, etc) to the priest. Was the confession valid?

It was still valid because you just followed the direction of the priest. When you are in the confessional the priest acts as judge and so you are supposed to follow his direction as far as the course of the confession is concerned. So if the priest tells you to stop or to not go into more detail, then whether he is right or wrong, you should go along and not worry about it; even if the priest makes a mistake, you are doing what you are supposed to do and so God won’t withhold absolution because of that.

Also it’s just enough that you use words such that the priest understands what the sin was (masturbation, fornication, etc.). You don’t need to talk about foreplay or anything like that! So it could be that the priest thought you were going into unnecessary detail or it could be that the priest thought you suffered from scrupolisity (in which case you aren’t really obliged to make a materially integral confession if that is the source of the anxiety and spiritual harm) and it could also be that you were going into details which were occasions of sin for him (in which case again there is not an obligation). But even if he didn’t have a good reason, it’d still be valid.

Another question I have is in regards to withholding mortal sins in the confessional. I know it is a mortal sin itself to withhold mortal sins, but does the withholding of the mortal sins render the entire confession invalid?

Yes (assuming you did it deliberately and knew it was required to confess all your mortal sins or knew it was a mortal sin to withhold a mortal sin).

Do you have to re-confess all of your sins again?

Yes. However if you go back in the same confessional like right away (like after you realize what you did was wrong and repent), then I don’t think you would need to repeat everything since the priest already knows it (I don’t know this but this would be my guess)

What if you were unaware of the consequences when you did this?

If you knew it would be a mortal sin then it’d still be invalid because if you commit mortal sin while asking for forgiveness then you aren’t really asking for forgiveness since you aren’t really repenting. You have to repentant of all mortal sins to be forgiven.