In addressing the Sacrament of Confession, Father Joel Hastings of Saint Benedict's Catholic Church in Duluth recently took on the frequently-posed question of why confession to a priest is necessary.

Catholic doctrine holds that confession can be made directly to God, and that God can grant forgiveness directly to the sinner, Hastings acknowledged in the church's Aug. 16 online bulletin. Yet, by confessing to another who, in the tradition of the apostles, has been ordained to grant forgiveness for sins, there is also the objective feedback of hearing that sins are forgiven.

But then there is also the question of the priest's own sins, as well as who it is who might forgive those sins.

"Priests must got to confession in the same way as any of the faithful: to one who is a priest (and not himself)," Hastings said.

Ultimately, whether absolving the sins of the laity or another priest, it is the objective authority to grant that forgiveness that matters.

"By receiving the priest's absolution, one can be assured that their sins have been forgiven through the power of the sacrament as given by Jesus," Hastings concluded.