Okay Catholics and theologians, answer me this:
If one dies in the middle of a deathbed confession to a priest, does the confession still “count?”
As with almost everything in Catholicism, the simple answer is: “It depends.” If you want the complex answer, keep reading.
First of all, “deathbed confession” without further clarification can mean two very different things:[ol][li]Merely a statement made near death to a trusted auditor, who may or may not be a priest[*]The Sacrament of Penance before death. Note that the Sacrament of Penance is normally part of the sequence of sacraments commonly called “Last Rites,” but the Anointing of the Sick does not require Penance[/ol][/li]
If you are referring to the former, then it “counts” in the sense that the last words of a dying person are given a presumption of truth in many civil contexts. For example, a “dying declaration” is a standard exemption to hearsay rules in Anglo-American legal systems. It does not count as the Sacrament of Penance in a liturgical sense. Only God Himself can say for certain what effect such an interrupted confession would have on one’s immortal soul (i.e., we don’t know).
If you are referring to the latter, then whether it “counts” in a liturgical sense depends on what point in the sacrament the penitent passed away. The Sacrament of Penance has a good deal of liturgy, but the essential features are: [ul][li]Honest examination of one’s conscience by the penitent[*]Confessing of all *mortal sins directly to a priest or bishop[]Granting of absolution by the confessor[/ul][/li]
Theoretically, then, if a penitent died at some time between the examination of the conscience and the priest’s saying “I absolve you of your sins,” the sacrament would go uncompleted.
There is, however, a teaching that would cover this, and not leave a hypothetical penitent condemned to Purgatory (or worse) just because they had an unfortunate coughing fit at the wrong time. Perfect contrition is, “repentance for sins which is motivated by the love of God.” If the penitent experiences perfect contrition, then their sins are already forgiven before they even see the priest. The observant Catholic is supposed to perform the Sacrament of Penance as soon as they have the opportunity. If death occurred during the sacrament, then the penitent had the obvious intent to confess their mortal sins but death removed the opportunity to do so.
The official answer is God only knows.
To elaborate, it is only God who knows the exact moment at which the soul departs the body. A priest is therefore encouraged to perform the Anointing of the Sick even on a body which appears dead: If the body actually is dead, it can’t hurt, and if the person is still (just barely) alive, it will help. And even if the person genuinely does die before or during a sacrament, the Church teaches that the sacraments are a conduit of God’s grace, but that they are not the only possible conduits of grace, and He is just and merciful. So even if the person died too early, God might choose to consider the sacrament as counting anyway, or might decide that the sacrament was unnecessary.
Glad to hear that last line – that’s a God I could worship. Less so one with a metaphorical brass rod* up His metaphorical butt.
*See “Brass Rod of Nehushtan”
IIRC President Kennedy was already dead (hospital staff had covered him with a sheet) when the priests arrived to administer the Last Rites, which they did with Mrs Kennedy standing right there.
My roommate told me that the priest doesn’t forgive your sins, anyways, that it’s just fulfilling the requirement to confess your sins one to another.
I’ve heard that only God controls the moment of our death. If he didn’t let you live long enough to finish out the sacrament, then you’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do when you get to the Pearly Gates.