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Thomas Aquinas (c.1224–1274) taught: "God alone absolves from sin and forgives sins authoritatively; yet priests do both ministerially, because the words of the priest in this sacrament work as instruments of the Divine power, as in the other sacraments: because it is the Divine power that works inwardly in all the sacramental signs, be they ...
Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained". [8] The early Church Fathers understood that the power of forgiving and retaining sins was communicated to the Apostles and to their lawful successors, the bishops and priests , for the reconciling of the faithful who have fallen after baptism.
The order of Confession and Absolution is contained in the Small Catechism, as well as other liturgical books of the Lutheran Churches. [17] Lutherans typically kneel at the communion rails to confess their sins, while the confessor—a Lutheran priest—listens and then offers absolution while laying their stole on the penitent's head. [17]
Modern confessional in the Church of the Holy Name, Dunedin, New Zealand.The penitent may kneel on the kneeler or sit in a chair facing the priest (not shown) In Catholic Christian teaching, the Sacrament of Penance is the method by which individuals confess any sins they have committed after their baptism; these sins are then absolved by God through the administration of a priest, who assigns ...
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis has taken to task priests who are so harsh on sinners that faithful feel pushed away by the church. Francis said during his homily in St. Peter's Basilica Sunday ...
Priests may not reveal what they have learned during confession to anyone, even under the threat of their own death or that of others. Punishment for breaking the seal of the confessional is conferred by the severity of the violation: "a confessor who directly violates the seal of the confessional", that is: explicitly connects a sin to a ...
After the confessant reveals all their sins, the priest offers advice and counsel. The priest may modify the prayer rule of the penitent, or even prescribe another rule, if needed to combat the sins the penitent struggles most with. Penances, known as epitemia, are given with a therapeutic intent, so they are opposite to the sin committed.
The ninth conclusion asserts that the practice of confession for the absolution of sins is blasphemous because only God has the power to forgive sins and because if priests did have that power it would be cruel and uncharitable of them to withhold that forgiveness from anyone, even if they refused to confess. [citation needed]