Another Absolution Question

[PhuturePriest]

In the last question, Cappie said confessing mortal sins you forgot to confess was not necessary. I was told that you *must* confess them at a later time under pain of sacrilege. Which is correct?

Edited March 2, 2013 by FuturePriest387

[cappie]

Confession does indeed forgive all sins. However if someone deliberately withholds a mortal sin from confession it is not forgiven. If you've forgotten a mortal sin then you are  forgiven for it, you speak to a priest and then confess it next time you go to confession but you are not consider to be in a state of mortal sin.

 

As the Catechism notes:1456 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 for remission through the mediation of the priest...

A person who has genuinely forgotten a mortal sin need not worry because s/he is not considered in a state of mortal sin. However the mortal sin if indeed it is one, can be confessed at the next reasonable opportunity.