In antiquity, penance had been a public ritual. Penitents were divided into a separate part of the church during liturgical worship, and they came to Mass wearing sackcloth and ashes in a process known as exomologesis that often involved some form of general confession. There is evidence that this public penance was preceded by a private confession to a bishop or priest (sacerdos), and it seems that, for some sins, private penance was allowed instead. Nonetheless, penance and reconciliation was prevailingly a public rite (sometimes unrepeatable), which included absolution at its conclusion.
In antiquity penance had been a public ritual Penitents were divided into a separate part of the church during liturgical worship and they came to Mass wearing sackcloth and ashes in a process known as exomologesis that often involved some form of general confession There is evidence that this public penance was preceded by a private confession to a bishop or priest (sacerdos) and it seems that for some sins private penance was allowed instead Nonetheless penance and reconciliation was prevailingly a public rite (sometimes unrepeatable) which included absolution at its conclusion