Concept in Definition ABC

Confession is the act by which we share some intimate aspect of our life with someone. Confessing an intimacy or a secret is a way to free ourselves from an idea, since when it is communicated it is no longer hidden.

Confession has a deeper meaning if it refers to the religious sphere. Specifically in the religion Catholic is where this term acquires a more complex meaning. The Catholicism it is a version of Christianity; it is actually the mainstream. In other Christian currents, such as Protestantism or the movement evangelical, confession does not exist properly as a sacrament; it is rather an intimate act between the believer and God through prayer and the idea of ​​repentance.

A believing person practices confession when he communicates with the priest (God's representative in the world ) and in that act the believer recounts his sins, those faults in his behavior that he considers must be repaired. Once the believer has described the relationship of his sins, the priest applies a penance to him, that is, a

sanction symbolic (usually a few sentences). Sins can be of two types: minor or also called venial and serious. Venial sins are faults without excessive relevance, for example, misconduct with a family member. Sins are serious if they are actions that are clearly immoral or that go against the commandments of the Catholic Church. The ritual of confession ends with penance and for it to be effective it must be accompanied by sincere repentance on the part of the believer.

Confession is a sacrament of the Catholic religion, which means that it is an act of special relevance, a ritual of great value. symbolic within Catholicism. Seven sacraments are usually spoken of; being the confession itself, the baptism, the marriage and the Eucharist the most significant.

For the act of confession to meet the requirements of Catholicism, the believer meets with the priest in a small room of the church, the confessional. The priest is inside it and next to him the believer kneels as a sign of repentance and submission.

The act of confession has a peculiarity singular, because the priest is obliged to keep the secret of the revelations of the believer who confesses with him. This is what is called the secret of confession, the obligation not to reveal the sins of the believer, even if they were reason of crime.

The confession can be between two people, between the believer and the priest in Catholicism and another use is given when the individual shares some aspect of his intimacy with a professional behavior (psychologist, psychiatrist or other type of therapists).

There is a very specific circumstance in which the term confession appears: when a criminal recognizes his crimes, when he confesses his faults or crimes.

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