Catechism of the Catholic Church §1495 — excerpt
Only priests who have received the faculty of absolving from the authority of the Church can forgive sins in the name of Christ.
This translation is under copyright, so only the cited words are quoted here. Follow the link for the full text. Translation: English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Libreria Editrice Vaticana), as posted at vatican.va.