Is there nothing I can do?

[John Lamb]

Can a mentally retarded person confess their sins? Yes, because confession doesn't rely on the correct and precise enunciation of words, but on the heart's desire for reconciliation with God. If you have that desire in you, you are penitent.

[Kaesekopf]

In my particular situation, I can't go to confession. Because among other reasons, the Catholic Church would say that I'm a heretic and a schismatic. I, however, do not see my heresy or my schism (considered as such). So there is no way that I can be absolved: If I confess to "heresy" and "schism", I invalidate the sacrament through my lack of sincerity and my failure to amend my life; if I omit these sins from the confession then I invalidate the sacrament through my not-having-confessed all of the mortal sins which I am guilty of.

If that's the case, what do you have to lose by trying to go straight to Jesus Christ, confessing to him, and asking for his forgiveness?

Reminder that this is a Catholic forum.  This statement can be misconstrued, and I do hope you are expressing the Catholic intention behind this...

[Iamchristian]

In my particular situation, I can't go to confession. Because among other reasons, the Catholic Church would say that I'm a heretic and a schismatic. I, however, do not see my heresy or my schism (considered as such). So there is no way that I can be absolved: If I confess to "heresy" and "schism", I invalidate the sacrament through my lack of sincerity and my failure to amend my life; if I omit these sins from the confession then I invalidate the sacrament through my not-having-confessed all of the mortal sins which I am guilty of.

What it seems I need to do is to persistently pray for this knowledge, and then just wait it out... eventually God will give me this knowledge if He wants to save me. But is this all I can or should be doing?
My prayers seem vain and hopeless. I pray for the knowledge, but it seems to me that God does not want to give me this knowledge. It's as if I am directing my prayers against God or something, asking Him for stuff that He doesn't want me to have. Makes me wonder if or why I should continue praying, unless maybe God will eventually want to give me the knowledge even though he doesn't want to do so at the moment.

You can still try to have a sorrow for your sins. God will meet you where you are. Perhaps you have find it hard to find a cognitive faith but can try to have a deeper faith inside. i know many people who experience sorrow for sins without being able to become Catholics. If you really search for the truth but experience invincible ignorance than it is not your own fault, ie not beig Catholic is not your own fault. This only work if you really really search for the truth. All we can do is try our best. Perfect contrition will give your forgiveness. I have even heard that Catholics who have perfect contrition before going to Confession are already forgiven. The intention must obviously to go to Confession. If you cannot go to Confession then perfect contrition will give you forgiveness.
Listen to this:

I take care to try meditate on the Confiteor and Decalogue, and from there do my best to make a good Confession. That's all.

Even heretics can pray the Confiteor.

[Daniel]

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