Confessor

Part of speech: noun (n.)

1. One who confesses; one who acknowledges a fault, or the truth of a charge, at the risk of suffering; specifically, one who confesses himself a follower of Christ and endures persecution for his faith. He who dies for religion is a martyr; he who suffers for it is a confessor. Latham. Our religion which hath been sealed with the blood of so many martyrs and confessors. Bacon.

2. A priest who hears the confessions of others and is authorized to grant them absolution.