Should a Catholic convert confess his sins made prior to his conversion?

[HJ3822]

I am not Catholic, so I am just asking this question out of curiosity. Should a Catholic convert confess his sins made prior to his conversion? Should he confess all the sins that he remember? What happens to the unremembered sins? Will God judge the individual for the unconfessed sins? If an individual accidentally takes communion at a few Protestant churches that perform open communion prior to his conversion to Catholicism, is that a sin that needs to be confessed in the Catholic church? How does the Catholic church view the open communions of the Protestant churches? Would taking communion at a Mormon church prior to a Catholic conversion warrant a Catholic confession in an individual’s life as a Catholic?

 

[underacloud]

The process of conversion to Catholicism would involve one of two things:

a) For an unbaptised person, the sacrament of baptism is the first sacrament received in joining the Church. This sacrament obtains forgiveness for all past sins and no confession is needed. The slate is wiped clean, so to speak.

b) For a baptised non-Catholic, their reception into the Church fully would generally involve the sacrament of confession, in which they would confess all grave (serious) sins committed since their baptism, and any other (venial) sins they wish to confess too. Hypothetically, if there are no grave sins to confess, one may say this is not required; but in practice it is.

As for unremembered sins - absolution in confession covers all unremembered sins too. If they were serious, and one remembered them later, one would mention them in the next confession, but rest assured they have already been forgiven. God does not punish you if for failing to remember certain sins; gorgetting things is not any sort of sin.

As for receiving communion in non-Catholic churches, it is not ordinarily a sin for non-Catholics, but if someone is in the process of converting, it would be best to discuss this with a trusted priest.

 

[ChurchSoldier]

Yes, one would do best by confessing all sins against God.

Taking Communion at a Church which practices Open Communion for a lay person would not be a sin, but not good practice either. I would think attending a Church (being in line with the beliefs of a Church) which believes in Open Communion would be more of a concern to the persons soul.

 

[rcwitness]

I am not Catholic, so I am just asking this question out of curiosity. Should a Catholic convert confess his sins made prior to his conversion?

Yes, unless ofcource, you are entering Baptism. That requires only a repentance of a sinfull life without God in your heart.

Should he confess all the sins that he remember?

Yes

What happens to the unremembered sins?

Get an examination of conscience from your local parish or find a current one online. Pray that God reveals to you what has offended His grace. Do not be overly concerned about what may not come to mind. You are turning to God, and He will be a light to what has been a stumbling block to Him.

Will God judge the individual for the unconfessed sins?

If you are conscious of a sin, and refrain from confessing it, whether to excuse yourself from it, or out of fear and shame, then it will remain with you. If you forgot, the Lord will bring it to your attention in time.

If an individual accidentally takes communion at a few Protestant churches that perform open communion prior to his conversion to Catholicism, is that a sin that needs to be confessed in the Catholic church?

No

How does the Catholic church view the open communions of the Protestant churches?

Catholics are obligated to refrain from a communion that is not the Eucharist.

Would taking communion at a Mormon church prior to a Catholic conversion warrant a Catholic confession in an individual’s life as a Catholic?

Again, first you need to share whether you are a baptized Christian or awaiting baptism. The Mormon Church is not Christian, so for a Christian to participate in their communion is problematic.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

From the Catholic/Orthodox point of view, the Protestant Churches do not have a valid Eucharist with the Real Presence; as they do not have a valid priesthood in apostolic succession. Protestant beliefs on Communion vary widely but generally it is seen as only symbolic.

Note that, despite this critical difference, the Catholic Church does not consider being a Protestant to be inherently sinful for those raised in it.

As noted by others, a Trinitarian Christian should not take Mormon communion, except out of ignorance, as Mormonism is not Trinitarian.

 

[pianistclare]

I would add, if you were never Baptized, your Baptism would absolve you of all your prior sins, no matter the kind or number.
If you were already validly Baptized, you will (as part of the RCIA process) go to confession prior to reception into the church at the Easter Vigil Mass.

 

[Christy_Beth]

When I went through the RCIA program at my church, they set aside one day for first confession. As far as I remember, this included everyone in the group. Since my baptism (in a Baptist Church) was considered valid, I didn’t have to be re-baptized. I’m not sure about the one who needed baptism. But I think they also had their first confession at the same time.

As far as confessing everything, it’s better to do so. Sometimes in my own confession, I have to say that my attitude has been bad. A bad attitude can lead to all kinds of things. Like pride for instance. If you want to enter the church, talk to a priest if you haven’t already done so. If you’re not in RCIA, consider starting when they start the next class in the fall. Usually in early September.

 

[thistle]

I am not Catholic, so I am just asking this question out of curiosity.** Should a Catholic convert confess his sins made prior to his conversion? Should he confess all the sins** that he remember? What happens to the unremembered sins? Will God judge the individual for the unconfessed sins? If an individual accidentally takes communion at a few Protestant churches that perform open communion prior to his conversion to Catholicism, is that a sin that needs to be confessed in the Catholic church? How does the Catholic church view the open communions of the Protestant churches? Would taking communion at a Mormon church prior to a Catholic conversion warrant a Catholic confession in an individual’s life as a Catholic?

If you are validly baptised then yes. I was a Methodist and I converted when I was 44. You can imagine how long my Confession took!

 

[AngelusDomini]

Best place to go for the answer to your questions is your parish priest. They are there to instruct in the faith and guide you.

There may be particular things you can easily identify which need to be confessed, however, a priest can also instruct you in a general confession which may, under certain circumstances, be preferable to both priest and penitent.