Case 8. The Specific and Numerical Distinction of Sins

Caius, a young Catholic and a member of a certain secret society, receives a command from its head to kill Tullius, a traitor to the society. In order to do this, he seeks the place where Tullius lives, attaches himself to him as a companion, and investigates everything about his manner of life so that he may perpetrate the crime more easily and safely. Nevertheless, more than once, led by remorse of conscience, he determines to leave the business unfinished and, in order to provide for his own life, to flee the country. Nonetheless, he prepares weapons and at length, some weeks after undertaking the purpose, especially because of a deed discovered by him which renders Tullius exceedingly hateful to him, he provokes Tullius to a quarrel in a secret place and kills him. Hence it is asked:

1. How do sins acquire various species?

2. How are sins distinguished with regard to number?

3. What things must Caius mention in order to confess integrally?

1. See the answer to this question in Manual of Moral Theology, vol. i, p. 141.

2. The answer to this question is in Manual of Moral Theology, vol. i, p. 143.

3. What particulars of his crime must Caius mention so as to make a full confession ?

Caius, a young Catholic who belongs to a secret society, received orders from its head to kill Tullius, who had betrayed its secrets. To execute the mandate Caius found out where Tullius lived, made his acquaintance, and studied his manner of life, in order to be able to kill him with greater security and ease. More than once he determined not to commit the crime and to fly the country. However, he bought weapons, and at length after some weeks, especially on account of having found out something about Tullius which made him an object of great hatred to him, Caius provoked him to a quarrel in a lonely place and killed him. Caius must, of course, confess that he has committed homicide, and he must say as far as he can how often he changed his mind about committing the crime, for such changes of resolution will break up the sin into as many smaller ones as there are changes. He need not mention any other circumstance, for the means which he took to commit the crime were indifferent in themselves and only gave unity to the internal intention. The grave hatred, too, is sufficiently confessed by confessing the murder itself, which is a mortal sin against charity, unless before the murder was committed and on other occasions the hatred was manifested in ways which had nothing to do with the crime which followed, for then there would be as many different sins of hatred as there were different manifestations of it. The quarreling which immediately preceded the murder formed part of the final crime and need not be distinctly and separately confessed.