Is Sacramental Confession All That Is Necessary for the Forgiveness of Sins?
©2026 Victor R. Claveau, MJ The question of whether sacramental confession alone suffices for the forgiveness of sins admits of no simplistic answer. The Church, drawing from Sacred Scripture, Apostolic Tradition, and her perennial teaching authority, presents a more nuanced and profoundly integrated doctrine: sacramental confession is necessary for the forgiveness of post-baptismal mortal sins, […]
The Sacrament of Confession
Victor R. Claveau, Mj 🔹 Core Claim Christ instituted the Sacrament of Confession to forgive sins committed after Baptism through the ministry of the Church, especially through ordained priests acting in His name. ✠ 1. Christ Gave the Apostles Authority to Forgive Sins After the Resurrection, Jesus: Key implication: Forgiveness is not merely internal—it is […]
CONFESSION
By Giuseppe Monno Simple questions and answers designed for Catholics who wish to understand the Sacrament of Confession clearly: 1. What is sin? Sin is any action, thought, or word that distances us from God and from what is good. 2. What is Confession? Confession is the sacrament through which we confess our sins to […]
Confession of Sins: A Divine Institution
Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. During his first visit to the United States, Pope John Paul II pleaded with the bishops to do something about the drastic drop in confessions in many American dioceses. “In the face of a widespread phenomenon of our time, namely that many of our people who are among the […]
Q: Is a priest always bound to keep secret the sins revealed to him in Confessions?
A: Yes, a priest is bound by the natural law, the divine law and the law of the Church to keep absolutely secret whatever he hears in Confession. Canon 983 §states, “The sacramental seal in inviolable; therefore, it is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in […]
Q: Is it permitted to take your prayer book into the confessional with you, if it helps you to make an entire confession?
A: Yes, of course. It is always permitted. It might even be advisable in the case of a long and difficult confession, being then most helpful. For a similar reason it is allowed to write down your sins on a piece of paper and read them off in the confessional. But always be sure to […]
Q: When going to confession I am sometimes worried about my contrition, whether I am sorry enough for every single sin. Can you give me some advice?
A: As you know, our contrition must be universal, that is, we must be sorry for all our mortal sins without exception. This, of course, does not mean that we must make a special act of contrition for every single sin that we have committed. We should recall our sins as best we can and […]
CONFESSION.
Asa H. Craig, (Asa Hollister), 1847-1934 Few people, who are not imbued with Catholic faith, fully understand the principles involved in the practice of confession. In many instances it has been grossly misrepresented, and because of this I have ventured to discuss this subject for the benefit of my Protestant friends. I do not expect […]
“Only God Can Forgive Sin.”
Victor R. Claveau, MJ While flying home from a trip to Jamaica, West Indies, I entered into conversation with the woman sitting next to me. As the majority of passengers had spent some time at one of the many Jamaican resorts, she naturally asked if I had enjoyed my ‘vacation’. She seemed quite surprised when […]
Procrastination
It seems that very few souls were entering hell, and this disturbed Satan greatly. He brought together three of his best henchmen and discussed the problem. One of the demons volunteered to try to help and Satan gave him full reign. After a week went by, there was no improvement in the number of souls entering […]