Confession
2 Corinthians 5:18-20
God... hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation... hath placed in us the word of reconciliation. For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us.
Context of the passage
Paul describes the apostolic ministry as one entrusted by God with the specific task of reconciling sinners to himself through Christ.
Catholic reading
The apostles are given a genuine 'ministry of reconciliation,' acting as Christ's 'ambassadors' mediating God's forgiveness to sinners, the theological framework underlying the priest's role in absolving sins in Confession, in persona Christi.
Common objection
This 'ministry of reconciliation' simply means preaching the Gospel message that reconciles people to God through faith, not administering a sacrament of absolution.
Response
Read alongside John 20:23, where the risen Christ specifically gives the apostles authority to forgive or retain individual sins, this 'ministry of reconciliation' takes concrete sacramental form as the Church's authority to absolve penitents through her ordained ministers.