[kuh
n-fesh-uhn] 
| 1. | acknowledgment; avowal; admission: a confession of incompetence. |
| 2. | acknowledgment or disclosure of sin or sinfulness, esp. to a priest to obtain absolution. |
| 3. | something that is confessed. |
| 4. | a formal, usually written, acknowledgment of guilt by a person accused of a crime. |
| 5. | Also called confession of faith. a formal profession of belief and acceptance of doctrines, as before being admitted to church membership. |
| 6. | the tomb of a martyr or confessor or the altar or shrine connected with it. |
In some churches, notably the Roman Catholic Church, a sacrament in which repentant sinners individually or as a group privately confess their sins in front of a priest and receive absolution from the guilt of their sins.
In the first few centuries of Christianity, repentant sinners were assigned public penances: sinners had to stay outside the entrance of the church and ask the people going inside to pray for them. The period of public penance could be shortened through an indulgence.
confession of faith
formal statement of doctrinal belief ordinarily intended for public avowal by an individual, a group, a congregation, a synod, or a church; confessions are similar to creeds, although usually more extensive. They are especially associated with the churches of the Protestant Reformation. A brief treatment of confessions of faith follows. For full treatment, see creed.
Learn more about confession of faith with a free trial on Britannica.com.