The constant teaching of the
Church and the Fathers of
the Church in explicit words
testify to the existence and use
of the power to forgive sins in
the Church.
The Didache,
(70-110),
Ch.4:13
"You shall confess your offenses in church, and shall not come
"You shall confess your offenses in church, and shall not come
forward to your prayer with a
bold conscience. This is the way
of life."
Tertullian
(Rome, 160-220), On
Modesty, Ch
21, ML 2, 1024
"But," you say, "the church has the power of forgiving sins."
"But," you say, "the church has the power of forgiving sins."
This I acknowledge and adjudge
more [than you; I] who have
the Paraclete Himself in the
persons of the new prophets,
saying, "The church has the
power to forgive sins"