Catholic vs. Protestant Forgiveness

[sudy]

But doctrinally or theologically is there any mention anywhere of an actual difference between the forgiveness granted non-Catholics who sincerely repent and Catholics who sincerely repent and use the Sacrament of Penance?

I may be way off base here… I don’t know exactly what the Catechism says about this but this statement from James speaks volumes… the prayers of someone upright are very powerful… so we should pray for them. And I think that the ‘confess your sins to one another’ part is important, too… rather than just disclosing to God, who already knew about it anyway.

James 5: 16 So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another to be cured; the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully.

I also think that being very sorry is inadequate unless there is a real change of heart. In 1 Corinthians 10: 13 it tells us that no temptation is too great that we cannot overcome it. I think we are to attempt to avoid sinning again. What I mean is, you can be sorry for a sin… then commit the same sin again after a period of time… believe me, I know all about this, but it’s not good practice.

 

[sudy]

You know, JSSD… I believe that this is what Purgatory is about. Nothing unclean can enter heaven… I think that covers the vast majority of us, so we’re pretty much all going to need purifying.

 

[truetofaith]

What about Jewish people who atone for their sins once a year?

They are in sin for a whole year until that one day of forgiveness? uch:

 

[TxGodfollower]

For a while I have been dwelling on this question, and even though I have discussed it and looked for a satisfying answer I still haven’t found one.

It’s this: When I, as a Catholic, go to confession (the sacrament of Penance), my sins are forgiven, by Jesus, through the ministry of the priest. Great.

Now I accept that when a well-meaning Protestant says sincerely to God that he is sorry for his sins and asks for forgiveness, that God forgives.

But the question I have is this: Is there any difference? Is the Protestant totally absolved?
Is the forgiveness in both cases exactly the same?
I feel like there must be SOME difference. Not because I want there to be, but because I know the power of the Sacraments.

Thanks

Having never been a Catholic, I have no personal experience on how I would feel post-confessional. I have made many sins in my life, yet confessing it to God I felt the weight and burden gone, like the experience I have heard from Catholics with confessional.

I would be interested in seeing something from the Catechism or from one of the early church fathers distinguishing the Catholic Confessional from Protestant private confession; beyond just personal feelings and experience. Feelings can be misleading and there are probably some Catholic to Protestant converts who “feel” that their new Protestant faith leads them more than their Catholic faith had. Not trying to call anyone here’s feelings false or invalid; just saying feelings aren’t proof.