Adsum

July 2003

The Forgotten Sin

From the book, Father Connell Answers Moral Questions
by Very Rev. Francis J. Connell, C.SS.R., S.T.D., L.L.D., L.H.D.

Question: While the priest is giving absolution, a penitent recalls a mortal sin which he forgot to confess. Should he interrupt the priest in order to confess it, or should he wait until the priest has finished the absolution and then tell it? In the latter supposition, must the priest give absolution again?

Answer: The proper procedure for the penitent is to allow the priest to complete the words of absolution and only then to confess the forgotten sin. For, supposing that the penitent gave due diligence to the examination of his conscience, his confession possessed formal integrity and accordingly constituted the matter for a valid and fruitful absolution. And, once the priest has begun the formula of absolution, it is unnecessary and even incongruous to interrupt him, even though the penitent has become conscious of some necessary matter not expressed adequately in his confession. Of course, there is an obligation to confess the forgotten sin subsequently, and ordinarily this should be done at once. In the words of Pruemmer: “If a person while still in the confessional, after receiving absolution, recalls a grave sin that has been omitted, he must at once confess it and receive absolution. . . Such is the common practice. For he must certainly confess this sin, nor is there usually a sufficient reason for deferring it until the next confession” (Pruemmer, O.P., Manuale Theologiae Moralis).

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