What if I forgot to confess a sin and remembered it later?
The short answer
It was already absolved. A forgotten venial sin need not be confessed. A forgotten mortal sin was also absolved, provided you at least implicitly intended to confess everything you remembered — but mention it at your next confession.
Venial sins
If the forgotten sin was venial, you do not need to confess it.
Mortal sins
A forgotten mortal sin was absolved too, as long as you at least implicitly intended to mention it had you remembered. In other words, you confessed every sin you knew of and would have confessed the others if you had recalled them.
What to do now
If you now remember a mortal sin, mention it the next time you go to confession.
Continue exploring
- As a Protestant, may I confess my sins to a priest to stay focused on the Lord?Q&A
- Can confession be made online?Q&A
- Can mortal sins be forgiven without confession?Q&A
- Can someone in mortal sin receive Communion after a perfect act of contrition?Q&A
- Can someone with a mortally sinful addiction, who rarely gets to confession, receive Communion?Q&A
- If there is a "baptism of desire," is there a "reconciliation of desire"?Q&A