“Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity.  The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in the Scripture, became part of the apostolic tradition of the Church.  It is corroborated by human experience.”

“Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart” of the sinner.  It requires “a new initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the sacrament of Reconciliation.  For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met.”

• Grave matter is specified by divine law (Ten Commandments) and the ultimate end of man.
• “Full knowledge [is] knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law…. Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense.  But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man.”
• “Complete consent [is] a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice.  Feigned ignorance and harness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin…. The promptings of feelings and passions can diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders.  Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.”

“Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.”