Did Jesus give authority to all His disciples to forgive sins?

[jsahagun]

When talking about the forgiveness of sins, how do I explain to a non-Catholic friend that the authority was given to only the ordained priest not everyone? She tells me that Christ commanded his disciples to make disciples of all nations, meaning everyone. How do I distinguish between authorized disciples (can forgive sin through Christ) and laymen(cannot forgive sins through Christ)?

Thank You and God Bless,

Jesus Sahagun

 

[Leonie_Ambrose]

jsahagun,

The following link should assist you in better understanding confessing sins to Priests for forgiveness. If you have any further questions or concerns that are not answered by these links, please contact Catholic Answers directly.

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Did Jesus give the power to forgive sins to all His disciples?