Why do Catholics confess to a priest?

On the evening of the Resurrection, Jesus breathes on the apostles and gives them authority to forgive sins and to retain them.

When Jesus heals the paralysed man to show he has power to forgive sins, the crowd praises God for giving such power to men.

James tells Christians to confess their sins to one another and pray for one another; Paul speaks of a ministry of reconciliation entrusted to the apostles.

The Catechism reads the parable of the prodigal son as a picture of this sacrament: the return, the confession, and the father's welcome.

In the first centuries, serious public sins such as denying the faith, murder or adultery were confessed and followed by a long public penance — often allowed only once in a lifetime.

From the 6th and 7th centuries, Irish and British monks spread private, repeatable confession across Europe. This is the form most Catholics know today.

The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) asked every Catholic to confess grave sins at least once a year.

The confessional box with a screen became common after the Council of Trent, in the 16th century, to protect privacy.

Only God forgives sins. Jesus, who is God, gave this ministry to the apostles and their successors, so that the Church would be the visible sign of reconciliation.

Confession of grave sins to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament; the Church asks Catholics to confess grave sins at least once a year.

Everything said in confession is protected by the sacramental seal: a priest may never reveal it, under any circumstances.