CONFESSION, in Roman Catholic theology, means a declaration of sins to a priest in order to obtain absolution. The practice of C. is believed by Roman Catholics to be of divine institution, being founded on the power of binding and loosing from sin conferred On the apostles by Christ (Matt. xvi. 19, xviii. 18, and John xv. 22, 23). The power of binding or loosing, being in the view of its advocates judicial and discretionary, presup poses aconfession of sins in order to its being judicially exercised. Although sonic allu sions to C. are found in the New Testament, Catholics do not allege any formal scriptural precept for it, but they contend that the above passages contain an implied precept, which they further support by testimonies of the fathers. Though the apostle James recommends that Christians should confess their "faults one to another," yet formal and open C. appears to have been first required in cases where persons guilty of gross apos tasy desired to be again received into the church. Motives of piety, and a wish to avoid the scandal of open C., led gradually to the institution of private C. in the hear ing of a priest. In and after the 5th c., such C. was made an indispensable preparation for receiving the sacrament of the Lord's supper. Open or public C., which was part of the discipline of public penance, ceased when that discipline went into disuse. Pri vate C. has been retained, and though its defenders hold it to have been at all times in use, a general law was enacted by the fourth council of the Lateran (can. xxi., malls utriusque sexus), requiring that ever Christian who has attained the years of discretion should confess to a priest approved for the purpose, at least once in the year; and they insist that this law was by no means the origin of the precept of C., but merely defined the time of its fulfillment. C. is one of the three " aetsof the penitent "—contrition, con fession, and satisfaction—which the council of Trent declares to be parts of the sacra ment of penance. The sinner is required to confess each and every mortal sin, in thought, word, and deed, which, after diligent examination of his conscience, has occurred to his memory. He is exhorted, but not required, also to confess venial sins (q.v.), especially if they be habitual. C., in order to be fruitful, must be accompanied
by contrition and a purpose of amendment. It commonly embraces the sins committed since the last C. ; but may include a longer period, and even the entire life. In the latter case, the C. is called general. It is called "auricular," as being made to the pri vate "ear" of the priest; and is ordinarily spoken, but in cases of necessity may be made in writing, by signs, or even by an interpreter. Priests cannot validly receive confessions in any place without the "approbation" of the. bishop of the place, which may be given either absolutely or with restrictions. C. is prescribed in the ritual of the Greek, the Russo-Greek, the Coptic, the Syrian, and the other oriental churches. In most of these churches the practice is obligatory, but in some it has gone into disuse. The Lutheran church professes (according to the 11th art. of the Augsburg confession) that private confession must lie retained in the church; but that full and particular statement of all sins is not necessary, because, according to Psalm xix. 12, it is impos sible." In the apology of the Augsburg confession, it is said to be "impious" to abol ish the practice of private C. to the priest; but in practice, the Lutheran church has widely departed from these rules. The reformed church (in Germany) has always been more inclined to general C.; and the united church also substitutes for private C. cer tain devotional exercises previous to communion. The church of England employs a general form of C. and absolution in its morning and evening services, but retains pri vate C. in the rubric for visitation of the sick. The Scotch churches do not recognize it at all.—The aigilluIrt confessionis (" seal of confession"), both in the Roman Catholic and in the German Protestant church, means the obligation of a confessor or priest not to divulge the secrets of the confessional. This custom of secrecy is traceable iu the 4th and 5th c., but was made binding by Innocent III. in the 12th, and its violation by a priest makes him subject to the severest penalties that can be inflicted by the church. See CONFIDENTIALITY.