Confession (religion)

thumb|Inscription on the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in [[Rome: (English: "Perpetual everyday plenary indulgence on every occasion for the living and the dead")]] thumb|Apostolic Benediction and Plenary Indulgence Parchment, featuring picture of Pope Pius XII

acknowledgment of one's sins

thumb|La Penitente by Pietro Rotari

thumb|Confessional at the Toulouse Cathedral thumb|300px|A confessional in Luther Church, Helsinki|Luther Church ([[Helsinki, Finland)]]

thumb|The Confession by Giuseppe Molteni, 1838 Absolution is a theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the practice of absolution vary between Christian denominations.

In a number of Christian traditions, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, a confessor is a priest who hears the confessions of penitents and pronounces absolution.

Istighfar () is the act of seeking forgiveness of Allah in Islam. This is usually done by saying "I seek the forgiveness of Allah" (), or "I seek the forgiveness of Allah, my Lord, and turn to him (in repentance)" ().

A step in the process of atonement in Judaism