Is Confession efficacious if one no longer believes in Catholicism?

[Gorgias]

Generally, the intention to receive Confirmation is presumed by observing that the confirmand does the preparatory work and shows up for Mass.

Generally speaking, sure. But that’s a tough call in the case that Anna mentions – namely, a teen who is instructed that he will proceed, even against his will.

 

[Anesti33]

And I think it should be the purview of the pastor or conferring bishop to interrogate the confirmandi and ascertain their free-will presence at the ceremony. Except… if the pastor is complicit in the coercion…

 

[annad347]

@Gorgias, @Anesti33 that was kind of the idea, if the priest didn’t know any better the Confirmation was still valid (not sure meaning or how but beyond topic).

My point is if the priest doesn’t know the level of doubt in the person confessing, should still accept the person confessing… but even if you think about it deep enough even confessing you have doubts or confessing don’t believe in God would be a form confessing the truth and should be forgiven. (taken beyond the confessional but that too is a different topic)

Bottom line, you should always go to confessing… it will will help in many ways… even with doubts… there is a reason you’re confessing, there is a reason you care enough to know if it’s accepted… there is a reason you want forgiveness. Which is why, again, I ask the OP’er what do you really mean by just covering your bases?

 

[Gorgias]

My point is if the priest doesn’t know the level of doubt in the person confessing, should still accept the person confessing

Right, but that’s the answer to a different question. The OP didn’t ask “should a priest hear my confession?”. He asked “I don’t believe, so should I go to confession?”

The answers have ranged from the pastoral (“yes! And keep working on faith!”) to theological (“superstition is itself a sin; going to confession merely to ‘cover one’s bases’ appears to be superstitious”).

 

[TK421]

Having serious doubts about catholicism but fear of hell is keeping me close to the church. I was wondering, does confession still have merit if you no longer have faith in things like the Incarnation etc? Or is assent of one’s will to the church required for the sacrament to have merit?

Experiencing periods of doubt - including very long periods of doubt - does not invalidate the Sacrament. Incredulity is a willful refusal to assent.

CCC 2089 Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. " Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him."

Peace.