Hiding a possibly mortal sin in confession

[timeandeternity]

I went to confession recently and as I was confessing the priest cut me off because I was taking too long (I tend to ramble). However, I had a couple more things that I wanted to confess: one of them I decided probably wasn’t serious at all, and the other I wasn’t 100% sure about but I thought it could very well be. However, I just decided not to confess it. I think I may have made a bad confession–please help!

 

[bscastro]

If your intent was to confess it and the priest cut you off, I think you’re okay.

If you’re not sure, maybe mention it in your next confession.

God bless,
Bryan

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Confess the possibly mortal sin at your next opportunity. Next time don’t ramble, but give the priest a simple list of the types of sins you committed and the number, as well as you can remember or estimate, of times you committed them.

 

[Cristiano]

The bad news is that if your intent was not to confess a mortal sin then your absolution is not valid independently if the priest cut you short or not.

The good news is that if you had the intent to confess a mortal sin and the priest cut you short then your absolution is valid. However, you still have an obligation to confess that specific sin next time you go to confession.

 

[timeandeternity]

I didn’t go into confession thinking, “I need to confess this mortal sin but instead I’m gonig to hide it.”
The thing was, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure if the sin was mortal. I do have a little bit of scrupulosity, so I just kind of told myself, “Oh, I’m just being scrupulous, it *might *not be mortal,” and didn’t confess it.

I don’t know if this will help or not, but the sin that I was concerned about was this:
I was travelling on a bus and noticed a girl with lots of “pro-choice” buttons on her bag. I thought of talking to her while waiting for the bus to leave, thinking, “It might be mortal for me not to say anything, because of the obligation to instruct the ignorant (spiritual act of mercy).” However, I chickened out even though I knew it might be mortal. I had another chance to talk to her while we had a 30-minute rest stop, but again I didn’t because I was afraid.

However, whether or not this was mortal, I still don’t feel right about having left it out in confession.

 

[Ron_Conte]

Intent to confess is not sufficient. The Council of Trent and the ordinary universal Magisterium infallibly teach that you must actually confess every actual mortal sin and the number of times it was committed, as best you can remember:

The Council of Trent:
“all the mortal sins, of which, after a diligent examination of themselves, they are conscious, must needs be by penitents enumerated in confession”

“the faithful of Christ are careful to confess all the sins which occur to their memory, they without doubt lay them all bare before the mercy of God to be pardoned”

“If any one saith, that, in the sacrament of Penance, it is not necessary, of divine right, for the remission of sins, to confess all and singular the mortal sins which after due and diligent previous meditation are remembered… let him be anathema”

The CCC 1456

“Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: “All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession”

If it is an actual mortal sin, you must confess it to a priest in the confessional. The intent to confess is not sufficient. . The Magisterium does not teach that mere intent to confess makes for a valid confession.

Don’t give long explanations in the confessional, especially if you have many sins to confess. First confess your actual mortal sins, and the number of times committed. This should not take very long. Then you can confess some venial sins, and perhaps ask a question or add a brief explanation.

 

[Bookcat]

I note this in general and not directly to the question at hand in the thread-per se:

It is important to note that a person who intends to confess all their mortal sins and is contrite etc and confesses all but still forgets one – or judges that something was not a mortal sin and so omits it – is not hiding a mortal sin and invalidating their confession. They need though to confess the forgotten mortal sin in the next confession.

Often one who with a normal or lax conscience can be advised to confess “doubtful mortal sins” noting that they are doubtful.

And often one who is scrupulous could be advised to not confess (at least directly) doubtful sins.

 

[Julian0404]

“Rambling” can be a sign of avoiding the sacrament. “If” it is truly your intention to “confess” then “confess” get with it - get r done. Make a list - bring it with you - stick with it - allow the Priest the opportunity of time to teach you - don’t waste his time with rambling incoherent or repetitive or lengthy dialogue in which you attempt to forgive yourself with “exceptions” and “details”.

Just make a list and stick to it. The Priest will teach you - and his words are what you came for- NOT your own rambling dialogue.

 

[wcknight]

IF you are not sure whether a sin is a mortal sin then it is not a mortal sin in this instance. For a mortal sin to take place, you must know that it is a mortal sin in the first place, and then commit it anyway.

Knowledge of the seriousness of a sin is one of the key parts of a mortal sin. the 3 factors are, you know it is seriously wrong (in advance of when you commit it), it is in fact seriously wrong (as defined by the Church) and you deliberately did so anyway (with no one forcing you, of your own free will). IF any of those 3 factors is missing then it is not a mortal sin.