The '''Mystery of Repentance''' (Russian покаяние, ''pokayaniye'') or '''Confession''' (Greek ἐξομολόγησις, ''exomológēsis'') is one of the [[holy mysteries]] (or sacraments) in the Orthodox Church, as well as many other Christian traditions. Through it, the penitent receives the divine forgiveness of Christ for any [[sin|sins]] that are confessed. Confession is made to a confessor (Greek πνευματικός, ''pnevmatikos''; Russian духовник, ''dukhovnik''), usually a parish priest or monastic. Confession can be individual or general.

There are two basic approaches in use to the form of absolution. What is called the Greek uses the deprecative or third-person form, as in "may God forgive you...." What is called the Russian is in the indicative (first person), as in "I ... forgive and absolve you...." The use of the indicative in the Russian form is due to the adoption of Latin Catholic usage by Metropolitan St [[Peter Mogila]] in the seventeenth century.