Question 302 – Am I forgiven if I don’t recall or confess every detail of past sins, even if I’ve confessed and overcome them?

Interview Organization: The Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima
Interviewer Name: Christopher Wendt
Date: September 13, 2024
The Church requires specifying the nature of mortal sins, but not excessive detail or exact numbers. Sincere confession without intentionally hiding sins grants forgiveness. Forgotten details can be confessed later. A general confession may help but should be avoided too often to prevent scrupulosity and doubt in God's mercy.
If you like what we do and want to regularly support our mission to build the Reign of Mary and/or assist the episcopal ministry of Bishop Athanasius Schneider, please consider becoming a Servant of Mary.

Transcript:

The Church requires that, for mortal sins, you specify the number of sins and the circumstances that may change the nature of the sin. For example, in the case of sins against the Sixth Commandment, simply saying, "I committed a mortal sin against the Sixth Commandment" is not enough because there are different types of sins against this commandment. If you are married, this is different from someone who is single, or if you are a priest with vows, and so on. There are different categories. Therefore, you need to specify the nature of the sin, but the Church does not require you to go into excessive detail. It is sufficient to explain the nature and character of the sin without elaborating on the details.

As for the number of sins, the Church doesn’t demand exact numbers unless it is something you clearly remember. The Church does not require you to expose details that may bring back unnecessary images or temptations. It is enough, I repeat, to specify the nature and character of the sin, and generally the number if possible. When you confess your sins sincerely without deliberately withholding anything, your soul is forgiven completely.

Later, if you remember more details, such as the number of sins, you can bring that up in the next confession. It is helpful to confess these details for the sake of your humility and repentance but remember, the sins were already forgiven because you did not intentionally conceal anything.

The important thing is that you did not deliberately hide anything. Once confessed, your soul is completely forgiven. If you later remember more details, you can confess them, but this is for the sake of further humility and repentance. You can also make a general confession of your whole life. Before doing so, it is helpful to pray to the Holy Spirit and your guardian angel for guidance. However, general confessions should not be done too often, as this may lead to scrupulosity or a lack of trust in God’s mercy.