This question might have already been answered, but i wanted to know if someone had committed a sin (mortal possibly), but did not know at the time that it was a sin, but later found out that it was mortal, would that mean that a person has a mortal sin on them now that they know . And would need to go to confession ?
For a mortal sin (the only kind that
must be confessed)…one needs grave matter…full knowledge and complete consent…
Read CCC below…let me know if you have questions
(Of course some things can more easily be “known” …even if one does not “call” it a mortal sin…like murder…see the Catechism …and there can be guilt if for example one knew one should find out etc.) (those with scruples should not scruple here…or anywhere…)
(if one thinks there is some sin in what is described above and confesses it…one would mention the circumstances described in brief)
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: (my highlights)
1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must **together **be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with
full knowledge and deliberate consent."131
1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother."132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.
1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent.
It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice.
Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
1860** Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man.** The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.
1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.
1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
From the Compendium of the Catechism:
- When does one commit a mortal sin?
1855-1861
1874
One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and of Penance or Reconciliation.
- When does one commit a venial sin?
1862-1864
1875
One commits a venial sin, which is essentially different from a mortal sin, when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent. Venial sin does not break the covenant with God but it weakens charity and manifests a disordered affection for created goods. It impedes the progress of a soul in the exercise of the virtues and in the practice of moral good. It merits temporal punishment which purifies.
