Do we need to reveal sins already confessed?

[CivisRomanusSum]

Hi!

Here’s a general question about the sacrament of confession. Say that I commit a sin against someone and he/she doesn’t know about it. Afterwards, I feel repentant and confess to a priest. Assuming that my confession was valid and that I perform all the penances imposed by the priest, am I obligated to reveal this sin to the person against whom I committed it?

The most frequent version of this question is whether or not one should reveal acts of adultery to one’s spouse. But I’m sure that “secret sins” can apply in other contexts. So I’m looking for general norms that can guide me here. Does the Church have guidelines on whether or not to reveal sins already confessed and presumably forgiven (assuming also that revealing such sin is not part of the penance imposed)? Does the concealment invalidate an otherwise valid confession?

Thanks!

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Strictly speaking, the answer is no, we do not need to reveal our sins. However, there are times when we must make restitution to the best of our ability. For example, if we damage someone’s reputation by slander, we must do our best to repair that damage.

 

[jaimeleglise]

I agree. Often revealing the sin could do more harm than good.

 

[powerofk]

What PaulFromIowa stated is true enough, but… there are times when true contriteness - in and of itself - should impel a person to make amends. In other words, even though the priest cannot require a person to do an action that may disclose his/her sin against another person as part of one’s penance, if a penitent has committed a serious sin against another person, the priest may ask to see if the person has attempted (or intends to attempt) to make amends in order to discern if the penitent is truly contrite.

Such sins that a contrite conscience would impel making amends in and of itself could be: lying (especially under oath), adultery (including the watching of pornography), theft (including cheating, intentional damaging of other’s property, or fleeing after unintentional damaging of other’s property), and murder (including abortion) among others.