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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

Will they still let me join the Church if I confess to an abortion?

Fr. Vincent Serpa O.P.

Question:

I am a candidate and will be coming into the Church this Easter. My problem is that I have yet to make my first confession, and I am afraid of it because when I was 16, I had an abortion. I have regretted it every moment since. Will they still let me join the Church?

Answer:

You have nothing whatsoever to fear. The priest is there to absolve you of your sins—not to condemn you. That sin will be forgiven and nothing that you say during your reception of the sacrament of penance (as confession is formally called) can be revealed. We call this the seal of confession. Any priest who breaks that seal would be automatically excommunicated from the Church. In any case, your entrance into the Catholic Church will not be denied.

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