Dist. 17, Part 3, Art. 2, Q. 1
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/4/d/17/q/bon-sent-IV-d17-p3-a2-q1
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### Article II. *What is to be confessed.*

Next, with respect to the second article, it is asked what is to be confessed. And concerning this, three things are asked.

First it is asked whether one must confess every venial fault.

Second, whether one must confess every difference of mortal sin.

Third, whether one must confess every circumstance.

### Question I. *Whether one must confess every venial fault.*

Concerning the first, it is shown that one must confess a venial fault.

1. James, last chapter: *Confess your sins one to another*; the Gloss: «Sins which come from human ignorance, he says and commands to be confessed»; and such are venial: therefore it is commanded to confess them.

2. Likewise, Augustine: «If you have begun to waver, confess the motion, lest you bewail the ruin»: if therefore it is dangerous to fall, he who does not confess exposes himself to danger; but all are bound to flee that: therefore etc.

3. Likewise, concerning everything which the Lord must punish and judge in the future, He has committed the judgment in the present to priests, and especially to Peter; but the Lord on the day of judgment will judge concerning venial things, and it will be necessary to render an account, as is said in Matthew twelve, *of every idle word* etc. If you say that He will require an account, but yet will not on that account condemn; an objection is raised concerning those who depart with mortal sin, that for venial things they will be tormented eternally: therefore it seems that the impious man coming to confession, since he would be eternally punished for both, ought to confess both.

4. Likewise, concerning certain venial things it is difficult to judge whether they are mortal or venial, which nevertheless according to the truth are venial; but when there is difficulty and ambiguity, recourse must be had to the priests, as is said in Deuteronomy seventeen: *If a thing be difficult and ambiguous* etc.: therefore such venial things are to be confessed.

**On the contrary:** 1. «Penance is the second plank after shipwreck»; but by a venial sin no one is shipwrecked: therefore for venial sins no one is bound to have recourse to penance: therefore neither to confess them.

2. Likewise, venial sins are not under a prohibition: therefore neither are their remedies under a precept: therefore there is no precept to confess venial sins.

3. Likewise, confession is made for being reconciled to the Church; but by a venial sin no one has been made an enemy of the Church, no one has been cast out of the Church, in no way is the Church harmed, because they do not take away or diminish charity: therefore no one is bound to confess them.

4. Likewise, whatever a man is bound to confess, he is further bound not to repeat, because «true penance is to lament what has been committed and not to commit what is to be lamented»; but one is not bound not to repeat venial sins: therefore he is not bound to do penance for them, therefore neither to confess them.

> **Conclusion.** To confess venial sins is fitting, not necessary, except sometimes on account of doubt, or an ecclesiastical statute.

**I respond:** It must be said that the confession of venial sins is not under a precept, but is under a counsel. It is not under a precept: because, since they are by their nature venial, they can of themselves obtain pardon, whether through interior penance, or through exterior penance undertaken, or even through the punishment of purgatory, as will appear better below, or through another fitting and suitable remedy. But although by the nature of their kind it is not necessary to confess them, nevertheless to confess them is fitting, especially for perfect men, because it is very useful, and the punishment due to them is diminished by virtue of the keys. This, then, is said of venial sins in general.

In a particular case, however, it happens that a man is bound to confess them, whether on account of doubt, or on account of an ecclesiastical statute. On account of doubt: because he doubts probably whether it is venial or mortal; therefore, if he does not repent as for a mortal sin, he exposes himself to danger, and therefore he ought to confess, as it lies in his conscience, and leave it to the judgment of the priest whether it be venial or mortal. — On account of an ecclesiastical statute he is bound: because every member of the faithful is bound to confess once a year; and therefore, if he has only venial sins, at least those he is bound to confess once a year. But this is not on account of the disease of venial sin, but on account of the precept, the reason why it is enjoined on all having been touched on above.

It must be granted, therefore, that venial sins, as such, need not be confessed, yet it is expedient; nor is anyone bound except by what is good and equitable, except in two cases, either because he is bound by conscience, or because he is bound by an ecclesiastical constitution.

1. To that which is objected, that He commands to confess the sins which are contracted through ignorance; it must be said that this is to be understood of venial sins. But then to command is to teach, according to that text of Luke five: *Master, all the night* etc. But the word of blessed James, although it is put forward in the manner of an imperative, nevertheless for mortal sins it holds imperatively, for venial sins rather by way of incitement.

2. To that which Augustine says: If you have begun etc.; it must be said that it is a counsel, not because ruin cannot otherwise be avoided except through confession, but because this way is suitable and salutary; hence he does not say this, that he who does not confess the motion always falls, but that he would be more prone to falling.

3. To that which is objected, that the Lord will punish and judge in the future; it must be said that He will judge venial sin, or for a venial sin, otherwise than for a mortal sin. For for a mortal sin He will judge and condemn; for a venial sin He will by no means condemn, but will torment temporally, unless perhaps it is annexed to a mortal sin, and this not by reason of itself, but by reason of the mortal sin. And therefore, since one confesses the mortal sin, he is absolved, for which he was to be condemned by the Lord; and therefore it is not necessary to confess those venial sins, as far as concerns the necessity of obligation.

4. To that which is objected concerning venial sins, that it is doubtful whether they are mortal; it must be said that in such a case, unless the penitent is assured by some wise man in whom he can place trust, he is certainly bound to confess it; but if the doubt is removed, and it is known to be venial, then he is not obligated; just as if someone's conscience probably doubts about something, whether it is mortal, he is further bound not to do it, while the doubt remains; but once such a conscience is removed, he is not bound. And therefore it has been rightly said that one is bound to the confession of a venial sin not by divine institution, but by ecclesiastical constitution and one's own conscience. And thus the objections are clear.