What is Reconciliation?

God created us to love Him, to love one another and care for all of His Creation. We often fail to love, and we harm our relationship with God and with one another through our sins. The Sacrament of Reconciliation repairs our relationship with Jesus Christ and with His Church when we have damaged that relationship through our sin.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also known as the Sacrament of:

• Confession: because, in this Sacrament, we acknowledge our sins by telling (or confessing) our sins to a priest.
• Penance: because, in this Sacrament, we make an act of penance by doing something (perhaps saying a prayer or doing a little act of kindness) to show that we are sorry for our sins and that we intend to live our lives in a better way and more closely with Jesus.

 Copyright Diocese of Leeds2025