I once made a confession and mentioned to the priest that I had seen some images on the internet with female nudity, but that I had not consented to any impurity. He considered it a mortal sin without making any further inquiries.
He said as an example that if a woman in a bikini pops up and I click on it, I am already commiting a mortal sin.
I discussed it no further and simply accepted what he as saying.
But I have read a lot of old, pre-council Moral Theology manuals, and they all say that immodesty is different from impurity. I mean, I can look at a nude woman and not commit a mortal sin, if it is not a proximate occasion of sin to me and if I don't consent to any impurity.
It is always a mortal sin to put yourself in a proximate occasion of sins of impurity, this much I know.
The issue is that there are degrees to remote and proximate occasions of sin, and it largely depends on the individual and the circuмstances.
My take is that the priest is being a rigorist, or is being overly simplistic because he probably thinks that I don't have a deep Moral Theology understanding.
It is obviously better not to look at nude people, but I think that it is important to be able to differ mortal and venial sin.
This is annonymous because I think that it is inappropriate to disclose our confessions.
I would appreciate comments and discussion from people who have a deeper knowledge of Moral Theology.
IMO, I agree with you that this priest is wrong. It's this type of thing that creates scrupulosity. I would agree with nearly all of your analysis in general, though I haven't carefully read every word of it.
I'd like to know where this priest was trained, i.e., by which Traditional group.
No, simply seeing a nude woman is not a mortal sin. This priest made no allowance for whether the image simply popped up somewhere or whether you deliberately sought it out, and, as you mention, whether such images constitute a remote or a proximate occasion of grave sin for you. Being subjected to a proximate occasion of sin is grave matter, unless there's proportionately grave reason to enter the occasion, e.g. to help save someone life or for a doctor to see a patient nude, etc. Subjecting oneself to a remote occasion of sin requires proportionately less justification. And, indeed, whether an occasion of sin is remote or proximate depends largely on the individual.