Isn't the Church going too far to make themselves the authority of forgiving sin?

[emom]

I have a few friends that rely only on the Bible for their truth. Most of what they preach to me is that God will forgive you if you confess your sins to him and repent. It doesn’t make sense to me that the Catholic Church wants so much power in this process? I know that you have to be free of mortal sin before you receive the Eurcharist, but isn’t the Church going too far to make themselves the authority of forgiving sin?

 

[Jim_Blackburn]

The Church didn’t “make themselves the authority of forgiving sin” – Jesus did (Jn 20:21-23):

Jesus said to [the Apostles] again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Recommended Reading:
Forgiveness of Sins
Confession