John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when he had said this, He created on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
The Apostles weren't turned into perfect people. They still sinned. Peter was called out by Paul for his treatment of the gentiles in Galations. The clergy of the Church have never been perfect... only God's Grace is perfect. Basic reading is all it takes to figure it out.
Ironically, your objection was the same one leveled against Jesus by the Jews:
Luke 5:17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” 22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” 25 Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26 They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
John 20:21-23
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
What this verse doesn't say is that the power and authority Christ gave Believers is limited to so-called priests. The RC church is guilty of many falsehoods including creating two classes of Believers - those with authority and those without authority. This arrangement for control and power is a contrivance of man.
The RC church is infiltrated with homosexual and pedophile priests. It is the height of arrogance and evil that anyone would believe that these men should only be disciplined by the institution that created them and that they should be exempt from civil authority.
The RC church is evil and perverse it its covering for evil men! Every damned priest guilty of pedophilia and all those complicit should be hanged, drawn and quartered!
Basic reading is all it takes to figure it out.
Basic common sense tell you to avoid institutions and people that veil evil - like the democrat party and perverted anti-Christ bishops and priests in the RC church.
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when he had said this, He created on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT..............
Read that part again.
RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT............
Now what does that mean? What does it add to what Jesus says? It is a very important part of what Jesus says.
By position of priest or other in the RC church is this power given? The answer is no, It is given to those who receive the Holy Spirit.
Now there is much more to it. much reflection for all. If you have the Holy Sprit, it is God in you that is forgiving sins.
Now, In the Lords Prayer, we as individuals pray: “Forgive our sins as WE FORGIVE OTHERS.” What do I need a priest for?
What I need is the Holy Spirit and then and only then, do I begin to understand forgiveness of sin.