Penance (Confession)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Penance

Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God's forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. (CCC 1440)

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Videos on Confession

Early Church Fathers on Penance (Confession)

St. Ambrose
See that sins are forgiven through the Holy Spirit. But men make use of their ministry for the forgiveness of sins, they do not exercise the right of any power of their own. For they forgive sins not in their own name but in that of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. They ask, the Godhead gives, the service is of man, the gift is of the Power on high.
On the Holy Spirit, Book 3, Chapter 18
St. Ambrose
If you wish to be justified, confess your sin. For a shamefaced confession of sins looses the bands of transgression. You see what God requires of you, that you remember that grace which you have received, and boast not as though you had not received it. You see by how complete a promise of remission He draws you to confession.
On Repentance, Book 2, Chapter 6
St. Cyprian
Since, however, I see that there is not yet any opportunity of coming to you, and that the summer has already begun—a season that is disturbed with continual and heavy sickness,--I think that our brethren must be dealt with; --that they who have received certificates from the martyrs, and may be assisted by their privilege with God, if they should be seized with any misfortune and peril of sickness, should, without waiting for my presence, before any presbyter who might be present, or if a presbyter should not be found and death begins to be imminent, before even a deacon, be able to make confession of their sin, that, with the imposition of hands upon them for repentance, they should come to the Lord with the peace which the martyrs have desired, by their letters to us, to be granted to them.
Letters, 18:1
St. John Chrysostom
For they who inhabit the earth and make their abode there are entrusted with the administration of things which are in Heaven, and have received an authority which God has not given to angels or archangels. For has it not been said to them, ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed  in Heaven’ (Matthew 18:18)? They who rule on earth have indeed authority to bind, but only the body: whereas this binding lays hold of the soul and penetrates the heavens: and what priests do here below God ratifies above, and the Master confirms the sentence of his servants. For indeed what is it but all manner of heavenly authority which He has given them when He says, ‘Whose sins you remit they are remitted, and whose sins you retain they are retained’ (John 20:23)? What authority could be greater than this? ‘The Father has committed all judgment to the Son’ (John 5:22). But I see it all put into the hands of these men by the Son.
On the Priesthood, Book 3, Chapter 5
St. Ignatius of Antioch
For, wherever there is division or anger, God has no place. Now God forgives all who repent, so long as their repentance turns to union with God and to communion with the bishop.
Letter to the Philadelphians, Chapter 8

Scripture - Penance (Confession)

Leviticus 4:13-21
"If the whole community of Israel inadvertently and without even being aware of it does something that the LORD has forbidden and thus makes itself guilty, should it later on become known that the sin was committed, the community shall present a young bull as a sin offering. They shall bring it before the meeting tent, and here, before the LORD, the elders of the community shall lay their hands on the bullock's head. When the bullock has been slaughtered before the LORD, the anointed priest shall bring some of its blood into the meeting tent, and dipping his finger in the blood, he shall sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, toward the veil. He shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the LORD in the meeting tent. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of holocausts which is at the entrance of the meeting tent. All of its fat he shall take from it and burn on the altar, doing with this bullock just as he did with the other sin-offering bullock. Thus the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. This bullock must also be brought outside the camp and burned, just as has been prescribed for the other one. This is the sin offering for the community.
Leviticus 5:14-26
The LORD said to Moses, "If someone commits a sin by inadvertently cheating in the LORD'S sacred dues, he shall bring to the LORD as his guilt offering an unblemished ram from the flock, valued at two silver shekels according to the standard of the sanctuary shekel. He shall also restore what he has sinfully withheld from the sanctuary, adding to it a fifth of its value. This is to be given to the priest, who shall then make atonement for him with the guilt-offering ram, and he will be forgiven. "If someone, without being aware of it, commits such a sin by doing one of the things which are forbidden by some commandment of the LORD, that he incurs guilt for which he must answer, he shall bring as a guilt offering to the priest an unblemished ram of the flock of the established value. The priest shall then make atonement for the fault which was unwittingly committed, and it will be forgiven. Such is the offering for guilt; the penalty of the guilt must be paid to the LORD." The LORD said to Moses, "If someone commits a sin of dishonesty against the LORD by denying his neighbor a deposit or a pledge for a stolen article, or by otherwise retaining his neighbor's goods unjustly, or if, having found a lost article, he denies the fact and swears falsely about it with any of the sinful oaths that men make in such cases, he shall therefore, since he has incurred guilt by his sin, restore the thing that was stolen or unjustly retained by him or the deposit left with him or the lost article he found or whatever else he swore falsely about; on the day of his guilt offering he shall make full restitution of the thing itself, and in addition, give the owner one fifth of its value. As his guilt offering he shall bring to the LORD an unblemished ram of the flock of the established value. When he has presented this as his guilt offering to the priest, the latter shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven whatever guilt he may have incurred."

Confession is not a private affair in the Bible

Numbers 5:6-7
"Tell the Israelites: If a man (or a woman) commits a fault against his fellow man and wrongs him, thus breaking faith with the LORD, he shall confess the wrong he has done, restore his ill-gotten goods in full, and in addition give one fifth of their value to the one he has wronged.
Matthew 3:6
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
Acts 19:18
Many of those who had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their former practices.
James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. 

Jesus has power to forgive sins

Matthew 9:1-8
He entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings. 
Mark 2:10
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth
1 John 5:16
If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray.
Luke 7:48
He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

Jesus gives authority to forgive sins to His priests

Matthew 16:19
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Matthew 18:18
Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
John 20:22-23
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
2 Corinthians 5:17-20
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 
James 5:14-15
Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

After forgiveness of sins, the need for reparation can remain

2 Samuel 12:13-14
Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan answered David: "The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die. But since you have utterly spurned the LORD by this deed, the child born to you must surely die." 
Luke 19:8-9
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. 
Matthew 3:8
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow produces a salutary repentance without regret, but worldly sorrow produces death.

CATECHISM

SECTION TWO THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH

CHAPTER TWO THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING

Article 4 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION

I. What is This Sacrament Called?

II. Why a Sacrament of Reconciliation after Baptism?

III. The Conversion of the Baptized

IV. Interior Penance

V. The Many Forms of Penance in Christian Life

VI. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation

VII. The Acts of the Penitent

VIII. The Minister of This Sacrament

IX. The Effects of This Sacrament

X. Indulgences

XI. The Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance

IN BRIEF

CANON LAW

PART I. THE SACRAMENTS

TITLE IV. THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE (Cann. 959 - 997)

CHAPTER I. THE CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT

CHAPTER II. THE MINISTER OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

CHAPTER III. THE PENITENT

CHAPTER IV. INDULGENCES