confession

n. admission (of guilt, sin, etc.); declaration of faith; telling of one's sins to a priest

This article is about the practice of confession in thee Christian faith. In criminal proceedings, a confession is a document in which a suspect admits having committed a crime. Confession of sins is part of the Christian faith and practice . The meaning is essentially the same as the criminal one – to admit one's guilt. Confession of one's sins, or at least of one's sinfulness, is seen by most churches as a pre-requisite for becoming a Christian.
See more at Wikipedia.org...

Noun
1. an admission of misdeeds or faults
(hypernym) admission
(hyponym) self-accusation, self-condemnation
(derivation) concede, profess, confess
2. a written document acknowledging an offense and signed by the guilty party
(hypernym) document, written document, papers
(derivation) concede, profess, confess
3. (Roman Catholic Church) the act of a penitent disclosing his sinfulness before a priest in the sacrament of penance in the hope of absolution
(hypernym) penance
(hyponym) shrift
(derivation) confess
(classification) Roman Catholic, Western Church, Roman Catholic Church, Church of Rome, Roman Church
4. a public declaration of your faith
(hypernym) declaration
5. a document that spells out the belief system of a given church (especially the Reformation churches of the 16th century)
(hypernym) religious doctrine, church doctrine, gospel, creed
(hyponym) Augsburg Confession

n. confession; avowal; congregation, denomination; persuasion, religion; shrift

(n.)
The act of disclosing sins or faults to a priest in order to obtain sacramental absolution.
  

(n.)
An admission by a party to whom an act is imputed, in relation to such act. A judicial confession settles the issue to which it applies; an extrajudical confession may be explained or rebutted.
  

(n.)
Acknowledgment; avowal, especially in a matter pertaining to one's self; the admission of a debt, obligation, or crime.
  

(n.)
Acknowledgment of belief; profession of one's faith.
  

(n.)
A formulary in which the articles of faith are comprised; a creed to be assented to or signed, as a preliminary to admission to membership of a church; a confession of faith.