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Sacrament of Confession

The Sacrament of Confession involves acknowledging sins before a priest with genuine contrition in order to receive absolution.[^1]

Also known as: Confession and Penitence · Sacrament of Repentance · Confession

Published 10/1/2026Updated 3 revisionsPage history

Meaning and scriptural foundation

Sacramental confession is the acknowledgment of sins and faults before a priest, accompanied by genuine contrition, for the purpose of receiving absolution.1 Its outward signs are verbal confession and priestly absolution, and its inward graces are forgiveness, release from guilt, salvation, and reconciliation to God.2

The authority to forgive or retain sins is grounded in Christ’s promises concerning binding and loosing and in his words to the disciples after the resurrection in John 20:22–23; this authority is transmitted to their successors in the episcopate and priesthood.1

Preparation and confession

The conditions of penitence include wholehearted contrition, determination to improve one’s life, faith in Jesus Christ as the sole Redeemer, and disclosure of sins to a priest who can grant sacramental absolution.3

Understanding the Liturgy describes the following preparation and sequence:4

  • The penitent first acknowledges sin before God and asks for help in overcoming weakness, then recalls these sins in preparation for confession to the priest.4
  • In the priest’s presence, the penitent acknowledges sins humbly, without making excuses, and listens to the confessor’s advice.4
  • The penitent bows the head to receive absolution; the text recommends silently reciting Psalm 51 during the prayer.4

Absolution and its prayers

The priest gives absolution in God’s name, not his own, to a penitent who is truly contrite, confesses, and promises not to return to former wrongdoing.5 The Coptic form is precatory—that is, expressed as a prayer—with the response, “May God absolve you”; forgiveness belongs to God’s authority and grace alone.6

In the rite, the penitent kneels before the sanctuary entrance while the priest holds the cross and begins with the prayer of thanksgiving, Psalm 51, and the intercession for the sick.7 The priest then places the cross on the penitent’s head and reads three absolution prayers addressed to God the Son.7

Penance and Communion

Penance is described as remedial discipline assigned by a priest, proportionate to the seriousness of the sin and intended to heal the soul and help prevent relapse.8 Following sacramental confession, it may include additional fasting, prayers, genuflections, almsgiving, or temporary exclusion from Communion.8

Understanding the Liturgy presents repentance and absolution as spiritual preparation for receiving Communion.9 It interprets Christ’s washing of the disciples’ feet as a symbol of confession, distinguishing the cleansing of everyday sins from baptism, which is received only once.10

The confessor and setting

The confessor must be an authorized priest with spiritual integrity, sound knowledge of church doctrine, and discernment.11 He should be trustworthy and discreet, pray and fast for those who confess to him, and treat rich and poor patiently without expectation of material reward.12 Confessions are ordinarily received on church premises, with exceptions for disability or inability to attend.12

Historical forms

Both private confession and an early practice of public confession before the congregation existed, and the latter gradually disappeared in favor of private confession.2

References

Sources

  1. 1.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 654)
    Sacramental confession consists in the avowal of one's sins and faults, accompanied with genuine contrition, made to a priest for the purpose of obtaining absolution. ... Christ conferred upon him the authority of loosing and binding (Mt. 16:19). ... After the resurrection, Christ breathed on His disciples, saying: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you . . . Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (Jn. 20:22-23). This authority became the prerogative of the disciples and the apostles, and was passed
  2. 2.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 656)
    Besides private confession, made by a person to his confessor alone, the early church adopted another practice, which required penitents to make a full, public confession to the congregation. This practice, entailing some measure of public humiliation, gradually disappeared, giving way to private, auricular confession, which proved to be an adequate vehicle for obtaining absolution. ... The outward signs consist in the actual verbal confession, as well as the absolution given by the confessor after he has ascertained the genuine contrition of the penitent and his firm intention to make amends.
  3. 3.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 655)
    The efficacy of penitence is dependent on the following elements: wholehearted contrition for having sinned against God; determination to improve one's way of life; firm belief in Jesus Christ as the sole Redeemer; and disclosure of sin or fault to the Church in the person of a priest who can grant sacramental absolution.
  4. 4.Understanding the Liturgy — Father Athanasius Iskander (p. 86)
    The first thing we should do is to raise our hearts to God acknowledging our sin and asking for God’s help in overcoming our weakness. This is the first step and is a temporary confession that is complete only when we go to our father in confession. Before we sit to confess, we should prepare ourselves, recalling all the sins for which we have offered this initial repentance. We humbly acknowledge our sins in the presence of the priest, condemning ourselves rather than making excuses. after listening to the advise of our father in confession, we should bow our heads to receive the absolution.
  5. 5.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 46)
    ABSOLUTION, the pronouncement of remission to the penitent, granting him release from the guilt of sin if he is truly contrite over his trespass, confesses to a priest, and promises not to revert to his former ways. The priest gives this absolution, not in his own name, but in the name of God, in accordance with the authority given to priesthood (Mt. 16:18, 18:18; Jn. 20:23).
  6. 6.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 46)
    In the Coptic church, as in other Eastern Orthodox churches, the priest follows the precatory method of absolution. After he has heard the penitent's confession, and read the appropriate prayer, his answer to the request of absolution is, "May God absolve you." That forgiveness of sins is the authority and grace of God alone is the firm position of the Coptic church based upon specific sources in Scripture.
  7. 7.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 47)
    With the penitent kneeling before the entrance to the sanctuary, the confessor priest holds the cross and starts by saying the prayer of thanksgiving and Psalm 51, "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving kindness," and the intercession for the sick, and, placing the cross on the penitent's head, he reads the three following absolution prayers that are addressed to God the Son:
  8. 8.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 580)
    PENANCE, the performance of specific expiatory acts assigned by a priest. The severity of a penance is proportional to the gravity of the sin committed. It is given as remedial discipline to the penitent for the purpose of healing his soul and helping him resist any relapse into similar kinds of wrongdoing at a later stage. Penance, following sacramental confession, may take the form of additional fastings, prayers, genuflections, almsgiving, or temporary exclusion from Communion, to generate within the penitent a genuine sense of contrition, sorrow, and detestation for his sin.
  9. 9.Understanding the Liturgy — Father Athanasius Iskander (p. 82)
    To be ready for receiving the body and the blood of the Lord, one has to be clean, both in body and soul. ... To be clean in spirit, one has to wash away his sins through the Sacrament of Repentance, and put on the clean garments which he receives through the absolution.
  10. 10.Understanding the Liturgy — Father Athanasius Iskander (p. 62)
    The Lord's action of washing the feet of his disciples is symbolic of the washing away of sins through the Sacrament of Confession. ... The Lord explains the relation of the Sacrament of Baptism to the Sacrament of Confession by saying that he that is washed (baptized) needs not to be re-baptized if he sins, for baptism is done only once, but only to “wash his feet” that is to wash away his every day sins through the sacrament of Confession.
  11. 11.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 656)
    As indicated earlier, a confessor must be an authorized priest, with a pious character, spiritual integrity, and a firm grasp of church doctrine. He should have insight into human nature, and show perception, discernment, and cooperation with a fellow human being who wants to make a clean breast of his personal wrongdoing.
  12. 12.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 657)
    Above all he must be trustworthy, discreet, and able to command confidence. He must be willing to fast and pray for and on behalf of those who confess to him. In particular, he should treat all penitents, rich and poor, with patience, without fear or favor or expectation of material reward. As a rule, except in cases of disability or inability to attend, confessions must be received on the church premises.
  13. 13.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 580)
    Various ecclesiastical councils, such as those of Ancyra (314), Nicaea (325), and Laodicea (343-381) discussed the ways and means of administering penances, and promulgated relevant canons, recorded by the early fathers.
  14. 14.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 655)
    With regard to forgiveness through penitential acts the Council of Laodicea (341-381) stipulates:

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