However thoses passages do not say you are only forgiven if the preists forgives you, whichI think is where the Protestatns get the idea that confession can be just between them and God. The Catholic church does not necessarily contradict them; it just warns them that you are guaranteed of being forgiven if you are sincerely contrite and you confess to a priest, but if you just ask God, you can’t be so sure.
I think that in addition to confession helping the person makign the confession, by relieveing them of anxiety through expressing their remorse for sin and offering a guarantee of forgiveness, it also helps the priest better serve the needs of the parish, becuase the more peopel who confess regularly, the more aware he is of common mistakes his cognregation makes, and he might be able to offer more helpful advice in his homily. It also trickles up to the church as a whole.
True, a priest can not give information about sins as they relate to an individual, but he can give feedback on the role of doctirne in people’s lives as a whole; their ability understand and fufill their obligatiosna dn the struggles they encounter. It is remarkable how many people criticize the chruch for being out of touch with reality, and struggles of the common people (us), but who do not confess regularly or seek the advice of a priest for their problems.
