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Dear catholic.com visitors: This Catholic Answers website, with all its free resources, is the world’s largest source of explanations for Catholic beliefs and practices. We receive no funding from the institutional Church and rely entirely on your generosity to sustain this website with trustworthy, accessible content. If every visitor this month donated $1, catholic.com would be fully funded for an entire year. If you’ve never made a gift, now is the time. Your donation will be matched dollar for dollar this week only. Thanks and God bless.
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Q&A

What’s the difference between contrition and attrition?

Catholic Answers Staff

Question:

What's the difference between contrition and attrition?

Answer:

Perfect contrition is sorrow for one’s sins based on the selfless motive of love for God and sorrow for having offended him. Attrition is sorrow for one’s sins based on the fear of punishment. For someone in the state of mortal sin (1 John 5:16-17), either kind of sorrow suffices to bring about forgiveness and reconciliation with God in Confession. Perfect contrition necessarily includes the resolution to confess one’s mortal sins to a priest, but it brings God’s forgiveness even before the penitent receives absolution from a priest. Attrition is insufficient to bring about forgiveness apart from the ministry of the priest in Confession.

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