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Dear Catholic Exchange:
What if we forget some of our mortal sins when we go to confession? Should we go back again even though all of our sins have been absolved? Is it possible some mortal sins left unconfessed are absolved?
Thanks for your prompt reply.
T.W.
Dear T.W.,
Thank you for contacting CatholicExchange.com and Catholics United for the Faith with your question about forgiveness of sins remembered after the sacrament of Confession.
What is clear is that each member of the faithful is “bound to confess, in kind and in number, all grave sins committed after baptism” (Code of Canon Law, canon 988 §1). To help us understand this provision, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catechism) cites the Council of Trent:
When Christ’s faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness (no. 1456).
The key here is that we are to “strive” to confess our sins. The wording indicates that we are obliged to confess only what we remember, once we have made a good examination of conscience. If we strive to remember and to confess all of our sins, then all of our sins are placed before the divine mercy for pardon. From this point forward we must accept God’s forgiveness, especially when we become unsettled in our souls.
Nevertheless, if we happen to recall an unconfessed mortal sin, we are called to confess it. As the Code of Canon Law provides:
The faithful are bound to confess, in kind and in number, all grave sins committed after baptism, of which after careful examination of conscience they are aware, which have not yet been directly pardoned by the keys of the Church, and which have not been confessed in an individual confession (canon 988 §1).
The late eminent theologian Father John Hardon, S.J., elaborates further on this issue in The Question and Answer Catholic Catechism (New York: Image Books, 1981):
Must we confess grievous sins forgotten in a preceding confession? We must confess grave sins forgotten in a preceding confession because, according to divine law, every known mortal sin committed after baptism must be ‘submitted to the keys’ [cf. Matthew 16:18-19; 18:15-18], that is personally acknowledged in the sacrament of penance (no. 1373, p. 273).
In summary, a person who has sincerely striven to remember all mortal sins for a given Confession should be at peace that God has forgiven his sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He should not preoccupy himself in striving to remember past sins. If he happens to remember unconfessed mortal sins at some point in the future, he is obligated to mention them in his next Confession, even though they have been forgiven. This requirement is similar to the Church’s provisions that must be met to validly receive forgiveness from General Absolution:
For a member of Christ’s faithful to benefit validly from a sacramental absolution given to a number of people simultaneously, it is required not only that he or she be properly disposed, but be also at the same time personally resolved to confess in due time each of the grave sins which cannot for the moment be thus confessed (Code of Canon Law, canon 962 §1).
In addition, further counsel could be given to someone who is returning to Confession after a long absence, has committed multiple mortal sins in a particular moral area, and yet cannot remember them all during a sincere, general Confession. Such a person should simply summarize his general Confession by expressing repentance for any all mortal sins in this moral area. He will thus have diligently striven to make a good Confession and therefore can receive sacramental forgiveness in peace. After his Confession, he should focus on joyfully “sinning no more,” not being preoccupied with trying to remember any mortal sin he might not have recalled during his general Confession. If he happens to remember unconfessed mortal sins at some point in the future, he is obligated to mention them in his next Confession, even though they have been forgiven. Such confession will also aid his general peace of mind and receptivity to God’s grace.
Meanwhile, the Church encourages us to confess venial sins (Catechism, no. 1458), although it is not obligatory to do so to receive forgiveness.
If there is difficulty in accepting God’s forgiveness for all of your past mortal sins after you have made a good examination of conscience and a contrite confession, you would likely benefit from the direction of a good spiritual counselor.
I hope this answers your question. If you have further questions on this or would like more information about Catholics United for the Faith, please contact us at 1-800-MY-FAITH (693-2484). In addition, you may download many of our FAITH FACTS at our Catholics United for the Faith website. Please keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”
United in the Faith,
Thomas J. Nash
Senior Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
