Absolution vs. Pardon — What's the Difference?

Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the practice of absolution vary between denominations.

A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction.Pardons can be granted in many countries when individuals are deemed to have demonstrated that they have "paid their debt to society", or are otherwise considered to be deserving of them.

The act of absolving or the state of being absolved.

The action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offence

The formal remission of sin imparted by a priest, as in the sacrament of penance.

Forgive or excuse (a person, error, or offence)

(ecclesiastical) An absolving of sins from ecclesiastical penalties by an authority.

A request to a speaker to repeat something because one did not hear or understand it

The forgiveness of sins, in a general sense.

To release (a person) from punishment or disfavor for wrongdoing or a fault

The form of words by which a penitent is absolved.

To allow (an offense or fault) to pass without punishment or disfavor.

An absolving, or setting free from guilt, sin, or penalty; forgiveness of an offense.

To make courteous allowance for; excuse

An acquittal, or sentence of a judge declaring an accused person innocent.

The act of pardoning.

(obsolete) Delivery, in speech.

Exemption of a convicted person from the penalties of an offense or crime by the power of the executor of the laws.

An absolving, or setting free from guilt, sin, or penalty; forgiveness of an offense.

An official document or warrant declaring such an exemption.

An acquittal, or sentence of a judge declaring and accused person innocent.

Allowance or forgiveness for an offense or a discourtesy

The exercise of priestly jurisdiction in the sacrament of penance, by which Catholics believe the sins of the truly penitent are forgiven.

Roman Catholic Church An indulgence.

An absolving from ecclesiastical penalties, - for example, excommunication.

Forgiveness for an offence.

The form of words by which a penitent is absolved.

(legal) An order that releases a convicted criminal without further punishment, prevents future punishment, or (in some jurisdictions) removes an offence from a person's criminal record, as if it had never been committed.

Delivery, in speech.

(transitive) To forgive (a person).

The condition of being formally forgiven by a priest in the sacrament of penance

(transitive) To refrain from exacting as a penalty.

The act of absolving or remitting; formal redemption as pronounced by a priest in the sacrament of penance

To grant an official pardon for a crime.

Often used when someone does not understand what another person says.

The act of pardoning; forgiveness, as of an offender, or of an offense; release from penalty; remission of punishment; absolution.

An official warrant of remission of penalty.

The state of being forgiven.

A release, by a sovereign, or officer having jurisdiction, from the penalties of an offense, being distinguished from amnesty, which is a general obliteration and canceling of a particular line of past offenses.

To absolve from the consequences of a fault or the punishment of crime; to free from penalty; - applied to the offender.

To remit the penalty of; to suffer to pass without punishment; to forgive; - applied to offenses.

To refrain from exacting as a penalty.

To give leave (of departure) to.

The act of excusing a mistake or offense

A warrant granting release from punishment for an offense

The formal act of liberating someone

Accept an excuse for;

Grant a pardon to;