Returning Catholics FAQs: About Confession

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

Confession, penance, reconciliation—what am I supposed to call it, anyway? And why do I have to talk to a priest about my sins; what’s wrong with just going to God?

It’s the sacram...