the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy | (Roman Catholic Church) the act of a penitent disclosing his sinfulness before a priest in the sacrament of penance in the hope of absolution |
| an admission of misdeeds or faults |
| a written document acknowledging an offense and signed by the guilty party |
| a public declaration of your faith |
| the document that spells out the belief system of a given church (especially the Reformation churches of the 16th century) |