You have only shown that you have no understanding of the sacrament. Of course it is God who forgives our sins. I have stated that very thing more than a few times righ here in this thread. And the means he uses to forgive our sins is the sacrament of Reconciliation. The priest has no power on his own to forgive sins. He is an instrument of God’s grace and sits in the place of Christ. He forgives us in the name of God, not in his own name. There is no forgiveness except through the grace of God, but it is that same God who handed down this authority to his Church; Christ’s presence on earth. The words of Christ in John 20: 21-23 are unmistakable in their meaning, as are the words of Christ in Matthew 16:19 concerning binding and loosing. It is you who are following the traditions of men in denying that this is the case.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, these are parts of Article 4 The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation:
1424 It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a “confession” - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.
It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest’s sacramental absolution God grants the penitent “pardon and peace.”
It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: “Be reconciled to God.” He who lives by God’s merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord’s call: “Go; first be reconciled to your brother.”
1441 Only God forgives sins. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, “The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” and exercises this divine power: “Your sins are forgiven.” Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in his name.
1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: “All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly.”
1462 Forgiveness of sins brings reconciliation with God, but also with the Church. Since ancient times the bishop, visible head of a particular Church, has thus rightfully been considered to be the one who principally has the power and ministry of reconciliation: he is the moderator of the penitential discipline. Priests, his collaborators, exercise it to the extent that they have received the commission either from their bishop (or religious superior) or the Pope, according to the law of the Church.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, part of 1441 uses John 20:21-23 as a reference point.
A parallel account of John 20:21-23 is Luke 24:36-49. Both passages refer to the appearance of Jesus to His disciples after His resurrection. After His resurrection, in these passages, He is telling them what they are to be doing.
John 20:21 starts with Jesus telling His disciples to continue the work of salvation, as mentioned in Matthew 28:19-20, the great commission. John 20:22 says, And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Cited in John 14:26 and John 16:7, Jesus declares the promise of the Comforter (Holy Spirit) that is to come after His departure. Luke 24:49 says, And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. That passage cites the promise that Jesus declared to His disciples in John 14:26. Continuing with Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5 cites the promise of the coming of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:4 says, And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Jesus told His disciples what was to come. They were to continue the work of salvation. Because Jesus would no longer be on earth, the Holy Spirit came to guide them into all truth; John 16:13. No longer by themselves, the disciples were to continue spreading the gospel of Jesus. John 20:23 and Luke 24:46-47 share the purpose of the gospel. John 20:23 says, Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. Luke 24:46-47 says, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
That’s why Jesus gave His life and resurrected; that the only way for salvation, forgiveness of sins, and healing be directly through Him. It is directly in Jesus. Authority to forgive sins was never given to man. He declared to the disciples the terms of forgiveness that is in His gospel, to preach in His name among all the nations. Whoever accepts or rejects His gospel, their sins are either forgiven or they remain unforgiven. Ephesians 2:13,18 says, But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. God has forgiven us of our sins only in Jesus.
