Bringing you the "Good News" of Jesus Christ and His Church While PROMOTING CATHOLIC Apologetic Support groups loyal to the Holy Father and Church's magisterium
Home About
AskACatholic.com		 What's New? Resources The Church Family Life Mass and
Adoration		 Ask A Catholic
Knowledge base
AskACatholic Disclaimer
Search the
AskACatholic Database
Donate and
Support our work
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
New Questions
Cool Catholic Videos
About Saints
Disciplines and Practices for distinct Church seasons
Purgatory and Indulgences
About the Holy Mass
About Mary
Searching and Confused
Contemplating becoming a Catholic or Coming home
Homosexual and Gender Issues
Life, Dating, and Family
No Salvation Outside the Church
Sacred Scripture
non-Catholic Cults
Justification and Salvation
The Pope and Papacy
The Sacraments
Confession
back
Relationships and Marriage situations
Specific people, organizations and events
Doctrine and Teachings
Specific Practices
Church Internals
Church History


WantToDoItRight wrote:

Hi, guys —

  • If I confess to having stolen something, do I have to give back the approximate price of what I stole?
  • If I go to Confession and have stolen or shoplifted a gold bracelet, would I have to tell the priest the price of what I stole or can I just name the expensive item?

Like:

I stole a gold bracelet, defrauded creditors once to buy a game console with
two games, etc.

WantToDoItRight

  { Can you guide me on how to correctly confess to stealing or shoplifting something? }

Eric replied:

Dear WantToDoItRight,

All things being equal, that's the goal. If you can't make restitution to the one you stole from, you give to charity instead.

I'd advise you to consult a priest on the details if you have a complex case, for example, say you stole so much you can't keep track of it or it would be a tremendous burden to attempt to pay it back.

Eric
Please report any and all typos or grammatical errors.
Suggestions for this web page and the web site can be sent to Mike Humphrey
© 2012 Panoramic Sites
The Early Church Fathers Church Fathers on the Primacy of Peter. The Early Church Fathers on the Catholic Church and the term Catholic. The Early Church Fathers on the importance of the Roman Catholic Church centered in Rome.