Frequent confession was once normal—monthly, biweekly, or even weekly. But it became rarer among Catholics formed from the 1970s through the 1990s. Today, many Catholics go to confession only after major moral failures or when life feels spiritually overwhelming.
Strictly speaking, confession is only required for mortal sins, and there was an emphasis on that fact in seminary formation and catechesis after the Second Vatican Council. Some years ago, a friend reported to me that her parish priest tersely instructed the faithful, “Don’t waste my time in the confessional with your little sins.” Historically, however, many Catholics confessed venial sins regularly. Confession was not merely emergency treatment; it was ordinary spiritual medicine. What changed?
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