Pure unadulterated deception. There is absolutely no Scriptural basis that God gave any flesh being or body the power of forgiveness. It is an abomination that any church ignores the miracle that took place while Christ was on the cross.
Matthew 27: 48-54 ended the need for 'blood' sacrifice and a 'priest/preacher/etc' having any conduit directly to Christ. That 'sinner' on the cross sure did not need pomp and pageantry of flesh man to be forgiven.. Why he did not even require a sprinkling of 'holy water'.
48And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Man claimed a power and authority never given by God to any flesh man to absolve any other flesh of their sins.
Guess by your lights all those saints, martyrs; theologians, scholars; thousands of converts including many former Lutheran pastors; scholars, and teachers including a former Chief Rabbi of Rome; the President of the Evangelical Theological Society; Judge Robert Bork; Laura Ingraham and a whole list of intellectual luminaries, have all been misled including the early Church fathers some of whom were disciples of St. John.
Your ignorance is both sophomoric and stunning!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_converts_to_the_Catholic_Church