Priests Authority to Forgive Sins

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When a priest absolves the sins of a penitent, is he exercising his own authority or authority that has been delegated to him by a Bishop?
 
It is Christ’s authority. We believe that it is Christ who is working through the priest in any of the Sacraments. It is Christ who baptizes, who absolves, who annoints and so on. The priest is as it were the instrument through which Christ is able to do this.
 
John 20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.** 20:23 **If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
 
Understood. But some people can validly act as christ’s intrustment to absolve’s penitent’s of their sins (i.e. priests and bishops), but others, a deacon for example, cannot.

I am interested in the means by which priests and bishops obtain the ability to validly act as christ’s intrustment in this regard. I understand that bishops obtain this ability by apostolic sucession, which originally came from Christ.

However, by what means do priests obtain this ability? Is it is ordination to the priesthood or does it stem from their relationship as a helper of a bishop that has apostolic sucession? Is is dependent on the relationship to the priest?

Suppose a validly ordained bishop is excommunicated. Does he retain the abilities to act as christ’s intstrument he received when he was ordained to the episcopate? I assume the answer is yes because we hold the that the holy orders and sacrements of the eastern orthodox churches are valid.

Same question as to a priest? Does he retain the ability to act as christ instrument to forgive sins?

P.S. Just so that it is clear, this is merely my intellectual curiosity and is not meant as as statement of any doubt about what the church claims to be or its doctrines.
 
Inman said:
…Suppose a validly ordained bishop is excommunicated. Does he retain the abilities to act as christ’s intstrument he received when he was ordained to the episcopate? I assume the answer is yes because we hold the that the holy orders and sacrements of the eastern orthodox churches are valid.

Same question as to a priest? Does he retain the ability to act as christ instrument to forgive sins?..
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He (the priest) retains the power, which he may exercise in case of emergency (e.g., a man is dying and no other confessor is available), but he does not retain faculties (permission) to exercise this power under normal circumstances.
 
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