why do catholics have to go to priest, the bishop and the pop?

Question

After christ meny things change including that you confess your sines to god without going to a priest.

jesus said that anything you need you go to God oney
you could onely ask them not go to them to tell you what to do

Answer 1

Jesus and the Apostles set up the original Christian Church with the Pope, bishops, priests (presbyters), and deacons.

John 21:15-17 states:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."

He then said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."

He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." (Jesus) said to him, "Feed my sheep.

Matthew 16:17-19 states:

Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

The Catholic Church believes the Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the "rock" of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock.

The Pope is the senior pastor of 1.1 billion Catholics, the direct successor of Simon Peter.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p4.htm#880

Bishops are the Apostles of today. Each one leads a diocese. Special types of bishop are archbishop, cardinal, and pope (who leads the whole Church).

Priests are co-workers of the bishops and can lead a parish. A special title for a priest is monsignor. Priests are called presbyters in the Bible.

Deacons assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity.

This hierarchy is how Jesus and the Apostles set up the original Christian Church.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt3.htm#iii

+ Reconciliation +

The Catholic Church believes that "Only God forgives sin."

When a penitent person asks God for forgiveness, his (or her) sins are immediately forgiven.

Catholics also believe that when someone sins they not only hurt their relationship with God, they also injure the entire church, the body of Christ.

Jesus said, "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,"Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (Luke 20:22-23)

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation with a priest ordained in the name of Jesus Christ not only reconciles the sinner to God but with the entire church, including you and me.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.htm

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Christ told his disciples to come to me for He alone can go to God. No one have the authority to forgive sin, but the Lord Jesus Christ. When I was 25 year old I ask a priest the same question, because I learned that a priest can tell (consult) another priest about your sin. It is consider to be openly discussion sin, therefore, it's not mention from the sinner out of confinality. It is a portrayal to the person.

Only Christ can relieve the sin from the person. He knows what's in your heart and mind. Jesus never gave the authority to men to remove anyone sin(s). It is a man-made-creation, and it is also really dangerous as well. Many people sin is not forgiven, because they don't consult with Christ!

God Bless

Answer 3

But the Sacrifice of the Mass indicates only one side of the priesthood; the other side is revealed in the power of forgiving sin, for the exercise of which the priesthood is just as necessary as it is for the power of consecrating and sacrificing. Like the general power to bind and to loose (cf. Matthew 16:19; 18:18), the power of remitting and retaining sins was solemnly bestowed on the Church by Christ (cf. John 20:21 sqq.). Accordingly, the Catholic priesthood has the indisputable right to trace its origin in this respect also to the Divine Founder of the Church.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12409a.htm

In the same way that your school has a principal, or your community has a mayor, so the church, as an organization, also has a head to it. A headless body, like on Pirates of the Caribbean II (Dead Man's Chest), walks aimlessly in any direction.

I still talk to God everyday, and examine my soul at the end of each day. We all must learn from our mistakes, but if we don't acknowledge them, we are doomed to repeat them. Talking to a priest and receiving from him the absolution that was handed down to him by Christ himself is an experience you may actually find to be a very blessed one.

Did not Christ himself exhort us to love one another? Priests are people too. A part of showing love is giving respect, as a child would to a parent. They carry a heavier burden than you can imagine. Look around you at the world and the state its in.

Answer 4

Catholics can pray directly just as others do. However, the Catholic church is an enormous organization, and the priests, bishops, and pope were traditionally considered representatives of God on Earth. It is my opinion that many people are too sophisticated to believe that today, but like any large organization, these layers of administration still have their responsibilities, and still exist. Also, many people want to participate in the sacraments (like telling their sins to a priest). I think there is comfort in the human element.

Answer 5

John 20:21-23 states "(Jesus) said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' And when He said this, He breathed on them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Jesus gives the disciples the authority to forgive, and not to forgive. This means a priest must hear the sins in order to know whether to forgive them or hold them bound. We do confess to God directly in our own prayers, but we also confess through the ministery of the priest because that is what God requires, as taught in Scripture. If you will read 2 Cor 5:17-20 you will see that St. Paul explains how the Apostles are ambassadors of Christ's work of reconciliation. This means that they share in the ministry of Christ and forgive sins in His name. James 5:13-16 tells us that the sins of the sick are forgiven in this sacrament of annointing. He specifies that the presbyters (priests) must be called. They obviously had a power the ordinary Christians didn't have, the power to forgive sins. So we go back to what Jesus said "As the Father sent Me so I send you". The Apostles are to continue the mission of Christ. The mission to forgive sins. Jesus knows our human nature and provides sacramental confession to give us several important gifts: humility, the certainty of forgiveness, spiritual direction and help to overcome self-deception and rationalization in matters of sin.

God bless,
Stanbo

Answer 6

Jesus breathed upon the apostles, the first priests of His Church, indicating a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them, and then told them, "whose sins YOU forgive, they are forgiven them". Why do you suppose Jesus gave the priests of His Church the power to forgive men's sins if He didn't expect them to use that power?? However Jesus did not give them the power to read men's minds. Therefore if they were to use the power Christ gave them to forgive sins, those sins had to be confessed. Which is how sins have been forgiven in the Christian Church ever since. It's the way Jesus Christ intended it to be.
.

Answer 7

You seriously NEED ENGLISH LESSONS!!!!!!!
It was a pope (Gregory the Great) who said that you have to confess your sins to God. In the Catholic religion, a priest is a representative of God, or at least he acts as one when you are giving your confession.

Answer 8

I see. You don't think Catholics should have to listen to their spiritual fathers. However, you fully expect our attention when you pontificate...Isn't that a little Hippocratic?

I do listen to Jesus, and Jesus wants us to obey Apostolic Authority

Acts 5:13 - the people acknowledged the apostles' special authority and did not dare take it upon themselves.

Acts 15:6,24; 16:4 - the teaching authority is granted to the apostles and their successors. This teaching authority must be traced to the original apostles, or the authority is not sanctioned by Christ.

Rom. 15:16 – Paul says he is a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable. This refers to the ministerial priesthood of the ordained which is distinguishable from the universal priesthood of the laity. Notice the Gentiles are the “sacrifice” and Paul does the “offering.”

1 Cor. 5:3-5; 16:22; 1 Tim. 1:20; Gal 1:8; Matt 18:17 – these verses show the authority of the elders to excommunicate / anathemize ("deliver to satan").

2 Cor. 2:17 - Paul says the elders are not just random peddlers of God's word. They are actually commissioned by God. It is not self-appointed authority.

2 Cor. 3:6 – Paul says that certain men have been qualified by God to be ministers of a New Covenant. This refers to the ministerial priesthood of Christ handed down the ages through sacramental ordination.

2 Cor. 5:20 - Paul says we are "ambassadors" for Christ. This means that the apostles and their successors share an actual participation in Christ's mission, which includes healing, forgiving sins, and confecting the sacraments.

2 Cor. 10:6 – in reference to the ordained, Paul says that they are ready to punish every disobedience. The Church has the authority excommunicate those who disobey her.

2 Cor. 10:8 - Paul acknowledges his authority over God's people which the Lord gave to build up the Church.

1 Thess. 5:12-13 - Paul charges the members of the Church to respect those who have authority over them.

2 Thess. 3:14 - Paul says if a person does not obey what he has provided in his letter, have nothing to do with him.

1 Tim. 5:17 - Paul charges the members of the Church to honor the appointed elders (“priests”) of the Church.

Titus 2:15 - Paul charges Timothy to exhort and reprove with all authority, which he received by the laying on of hands.

Heb. 12:9 – in the context of spiritual discipline, the author says we have had earthly fathers (referring to the ordained leaders) to discipline us and we respected them.

Heb. 13:7,17 - Paul charges the members of the Church to remember and obey their leaders who have authority over their souls.

1 Peter 2:18 - Peter charges the servants to be submissive to their masters whether kind and gentle or overbearing.

1 Peter 5:5; Jude 8 - Peter and Jude charge the members of the Church to be subject to their elders.

2 Peter 2:10 - Peter warns the faithful about despising authority. He is referring to the apostolic authority granted to them by Christ.

3 John 9 - John points out that Diotrephes does not acknowledge John's apostolic authority and declares that this is evil.

Deut. 17:10-13 - the Lord commands His faithful Israel to obey the priests that He puts in charge, and do to all that they direct and instruct. The Lord warns that those who do not obey His priests shall die.

Num. 16:1-35 - Korah incited a "protestant" rebellion against God's chosen Moses in an effort to confuse the distinction between the ministerial and universal offices of priesthood, and Korah and his followers perished. (This effort to blind the distinctions between the priests and the laity is still pursued by dissidents today.)

Sirach 7:29-30 - with all your soul fear the Lord and honor His priests, love your Maker and do not forsake His ministers. God is not threatened by the authority He gives His children! God, as our Loving Father, invites us to participate in His plan of salvation with His Son Jesus. Without authority in the Church, there is error, chaos and confusion.

Answer 9

according to catholic doctrine , the pope is gods chosen representative on earth & the priests are next in the chain , this is why our cathalic friends have confession to man . no other man has any buissness knowing what i choose to share with christ , he is the only name where salvation is found.
also reguarding danial 7 :25 , the roman catholic church claim it's a sign of their authority that they have changed the day of worship
( i choose to worship on saturday acording to the 4th commandment - i'm protestant & a seventh day adventist christian )

Answer 10

There is a lot of misunderstanding about the Catholic faith - especially on this site.

Catholics do not need to go to anybody except to God. There are reasons why Catholics have certain traditions and sacraments.

If you truly would like to learn more please visit http://www.newadvent.com It is a Catholic website which explains the faith in far more deatil then I ever could here.

Answer 11

Confession is also a helpful way to deal with issues.