Questions / Confession and the sacraments

What is mortal sin?

Church teaching

Answered on video by Catholic Answers

Video: What is a Mortal Sin? (Catholic Explanation), Catholic Answers Live, published Oct 7, 2023. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube

In short: A serious sin, done knowingly and freely. It kills love in the heart, which is why confession matters so much. CCC 1855 CCC 1857

The answer, in writing

Church teaching

Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart by a grave violation of God’s law and turns a person away from God. CCC 1855

For a sin to be mortal it needs grave matter, full knowledge and deliberate consent. CCC 1857

Our words

It’s not the sin you didn’t know about or couldn’t help. And it’s never final while you’re alive: confession is right there.

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Watch another on this

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Do I have to confess small, everyday sins?

Play video: What's the Difference Between Mortal and Venial Sins? (Aquinas 101), The Thomistic Institute (Dominican friars), from The Thomistic Institute, 9 min. Loads from YouTube when pressed.

What is venial sin?

Play video: What if I Die Before Confessing a Mortal Sin?, Catholic Answers, from Catholic Answers Live, 6 min. Loads from YouTube when pressed.

What if I die before I can confess a mortal sin?

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Sources on this page

How we know · 2 Catechism paragraphs

1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1855, 1857 (official text on vatican.va).

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