Did I make a valid confession?

[Theodoros]

Hi,

I went to confession today and confessed all the mortal sins I could remember. I didn’t however give numbers of how many times I had commited each sin. I only said the names of the sins that I had commited more than once in the plural (e.g. I have commited x acts), so I suppose the priest could have asked me if he had wanted me to give an exact or approximate number. Was my confession valid?

 

[Theodoros]

I should probably also mention that the priest clearly understood the species of my sins and from the pastoral advice he gave me it seemed that there were no unclarities.

However, I’ve read from various sources that generally mentioning the number of mortal sins is a requirement for the validity of the confession, so I’m now wondering whether my confession was valid or sacrilegious…

I would really appreciate some advice.

 

[levavi]

Yes, relax! Go, your sins are forgiven.

Next time, you could try to be more detailed, but getting to know your own conscience takes time.

To this end, you could try spending more time in preparation, and perhaps writing down what comes to mind (throwing the paper away after confession!).

 

[thistle]

Hi,

I went to confession today and confessed all the mortal sins I could remember. I didn’t however give numbers of how many times I had commited each sin. I only said the names of the sins that I had commited more than once in the plural (e.g. I have commited x acts), so I suppose the priest could have asked me if he had wanted me to give an exact or approximate number. Was my confession valid?

Yes.

 

[Theodoros]

Yes.

Thank you, that was a big relief!