Role of the Priest under the Dominion of a Bishop

In this presentation, we explore the sacred role of the Catholic priest within the Church’s divine structure. The priest does not act by his own authority, nor by his personal holiness, but as an instrument of Jesus Christ, absolving sins in persona Christi—”in the person of Christ.”

Ordained through the Sacrament of Holy Orders and authorized by the bishop through the power of jurisdiction, the priest continues the apostolic mission of reconciliation and healing, offering the Sacrament of Penance to restore souls to sanctifying grace. His power to forgive sins, rooted in Christ’s commission to the Apostles (John 20:22-23), is preserved through apostolic succession and divine mandate, not human invention.

This video discusses:

How priests act in persona Christi to forgive sins
The bishop’s essential role in granting priests faculties for absolution
The necessity of priestly ordination through apostolic succession
Why Protestantism’s “priesthood of all believers” rejects the divine institution of the priesthood
How the Catholic priesthood safeguards the valid administration of the sacraments
How the sacrament of confession brings about real reconciliation with God and His Church

Christ did not leave His Church without shepherds. By ordaining priests to act as His ministers of mercy, the Church remains the visible sign of Christ’s continuing work on earth, ensuring the faithful have access to divine grace through lawful, valid sacraments.

“Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; whose sins you retain, they are retained.” (John 20:23)

Through the Catholic priesthood, established by Christ Himself, the faithful encounter the living mercy of God until the end of time.