CONFESSION. In Roman Catholic theol ogy, a declaration of sins to a priest in order to obtain absolution. The practice of confession is believed by Roman Catholics to be of divine in stitution, being founded on the power of binding and loosing from sin conferred on the Apostles by Christ (Matt. xvi. 19, xviii. IS, and John xx. 22, 23). The power of binding or loosing, being in the view of its advocates judicial and discre tionary, presupposes a confession of sins in order to its judicially exercised. Catholics do not allege any formal scriptural precept for it, but they contend that the above passages con tain an implied precept. Though the Apostle James recommends that Christians should con fess their 'faults one to another,' yet open and public confession appears to have been first re quired in cases where persons guilty of gross apostasy desired to be again received into the Church. Motives of piety, and a wish to avoid the scandal of open confession, led gradually to the preference of private confession. Open or public confession, which was part of the dis cipline of public penance, ceased when that discipline went into disuse. Private confes sion has been retained, and though its de fenders hold it to have been at all times in use, a general law was enacted by the fourth council of the Lateran in 1215 (can. xxi., oninis vtri usque sexusl requiring that every Christian who has attained the years of discretion should con fess to a priest approved for the purpose, at least once in the year. Confession is one of the three 'acts of the penitent'—contrition. confes sion, and satisfaction—which the Council of Trent declares to be parts of the sacrament 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. To con ceal one vitiates the confession. He is exhorted, hut not required. also to confess venial sins (q.v.),
especially if they be habitual. Confession, in order to be fruitful. must be accompanied by contrition and a purpose of amendment. It eommonly embraces the sins committed since the last confession; hut may include a longer period, and even the entire life. In the latter ease, the confession is called general. It is called 'auricular,' as being made to the private 'ear' of the priest, and is ordinarily spoken; but in cases of necessity may be made in writ ing., 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. Confes sion is prescribed in the ritual of the Greek, the Russo-(reek. 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 eleventh article of the Augsburg Confession) "that private confes sion must be retained in the Church; but that full and particular statement of all sins is not necessary, because, according to Pea. xis. 12, it is impossible." In the Apology of the Augs burg Confession, it is said to be 'impious' to abolish the practice of private confession to the priest.; but in practice the Lutheran Church has widely departed from these rules. The Re formed Church in Germany has always been more inclined to general confession, and the United Church also substitutes for private confession certain devotional exercises previous to com munion. The Church of England employs a general form of confession and absolution in its • morning and evening services, but retains pri vate confession in the rubric for visitation of the sick (the last not retained by the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States). See