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Is confession no longer part of catholic religion
Executive summary
Confession (the Sacrament of Penance / Reconciliation) remains a current and required sacrament in Catholic practice: Canon law and the Catechism still oblige Catholics to confess grave (mortal) sins at least once a year (CCC/CIC cited across pastoral guides) and parishes continue to schedule regular confession times and encourage the practice [1] [2] [3]. Recent controversies and local laws about compelled reporting of abuse have produced court fights but have not abolished the sacrament; courts and bishops have defended the confessional seal even as civil authorities have tested its limits [4] [5] [6].
1. Confession is still a defined sacrament and a legal precept in Church teaching
The Catechism and Code of Canon Law continue to state that after reaching the age of reason, the faithful are obliged to confess grave sins at least once a year; this requirement is repeated in doctrinal and pastoral outlets explaining Church law and practice [1] [7]. Catholic how-to guides and parish resources routinely explain the steps of confession, indicate options for anonymous or face-to-face confession, and teach that confession is a Sacrament of Healing among the Church’s seven sacraments [8] [9] [10] [11].
2. Parishes still offer scheduled confession times and tools to find them
Local parishes and diocesan sites publish regular confession schedules, offer “Days of Mercy” or extra opportunities during Lent and Easter, and third-party tools compile confession times; contemporary parish announcements show confession times in 2025 and services continuing to list regular reconciliation offerings [2] [3] [12] [13]. Pastoral letters note that priests are “solicitous about providing ample opportunities for confession” even when schedules change [14].
3. Practice has evolved, but evolution is internal, not a removal
Historical and pastoral commentary documents changes in practice—public early-Christian penances gave way to private confession and adjustments after Vatican II—but those are changes of discipline and pastoral emphasis, not abolition. Scholarly and Catholic outlets trace this development and note decreased frequency among some Catholics since the Council while urging renewed practice [15] [16] [17].
4. Recent revisions and small liturgical changes do not eliminate the sacrament
Media reporting on liturgical language updates and slight modifications to the absolution formula makes clear the Church is updating forms, not discarding the rite; outlets reported “minor modifications” to preliminary absolution language while insisting the “essential words” of absolution remain unchanged [18] [19]. Pastoral guides instruct how to go to confession and reiterate sacramental theology [11] [9].
5. Civil-law clashes have raised headlines but have not ended confession
Several U.S. states considered or passed laws requiring clergy to report child abuse even when learned in confession, prompting lawsuits and judicial rulings. Reporting showed Washington state enacted such a law in 2025 and that the Justice Department and church bodies challenged it; federal courts later put parts on hold or blocked enforcement as to the sacrament in some rulings—demonstrating confrontation, not abolition of the rite [4] [5] [6]. Bishops and some priests publicly stated commitment to the seal of confession, even risking jail, underscoring institutional resistance [4].
6. Pastoral reality: fewer regular confessions for many Catholics, but official teaching persists
Journalistic and pastoral commentators note that regular confession attendance declined in many places after Vatican II and through recent decades; some Catholic writers call for retraining and pastoral renewal because patterns of regular confession “began to fade” [16]. That observation explains why some people perceive confession as “no longer part” of Catholic life, but the perception reflects cultural and pastoral shifts—not a change in doctrine or Church law [16] [17].
7. What the sources do not say
Available sources do not mention any authoritative Vatican decree or universal Church law abolishing the sacrament of confession. They also do not indicate that the Catechism’s or Code of Canon Law’s requirements have been revoked (not found in current reporting).
Conclusion
Confession remains an official, doctrinally required sacrament of the Catholic Church with canonical obligations and widespread parish practice [1] [2] [8]. Public controversy over legal reporting obligations and declining habitual attendance explain modern debate and perception, but those pressures have prompted legal defense of the confessional seal and pastoral calls to renew the practice rather than institutional abandonment [4] [5] [6] [16].