So, can a believer bypass a priest and petition forgiveness directly from Christ...? Can a Priest withold forgiveness... if so, is he not deciding in the place of Christ... I would think so... How des he pretend to know the wisdom of God? BTW, I am not Catholic... and never have I asked another to forgive my sins in Christs name... I petitioned Him directly when repenting... and asking for forgiveness.
So, can a believer bypass a priest and petition forgiveness directly from Christ... Of course! We do at every single Mass: "Lord have mercy! Christ have mercy! Lord have mercy!" But how do we know the forgiveness has been granted?
Can a Priest withold forgiveness... if so, is he not deciding in the place of Christ... I would think so
Well, what does it say in John 20? "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven. Whose sins you retain are retained." And in Matt 18: "what you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."